YuGiOh: The Continuation
by VekuKaiba
Summary: "This story may be ending, but my story is just beginning"-Time to pick up where the story broke off. Yugi and friends are entering their last summer as a whole unit. What is to ensue? Secrets Unraveling! Chapter 19 is up! Tournament Start!
1. Chapter 1: Start the Duel!

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Continuation

"This story may be ending, but my story is just beginning"- Yugi Mutou, Yu-Gi-Oh

"I want my journey to be…full of laughter"- Yuna Braska, FFX

Chapter 1

---Kaiba Corporation HQ, Domino City, Japan---S 5/31/07, 6:30 AM

Seto Kaiba stood behind his desk, shuffling papers around on his desk. He found the form he was looking for, an e-mail from Vice Chancellor Crowler from Duel Academy. He then shifted his hand to the phone, dialing the number from the paper.

"Duel Academy, Vice Chancellor Crowler." a voice chimed on the other end.

"This is Seto Kaiba. Have all of the necessary arrangements been made?" he asked, skipping over the small talk.

"The Academy Tower is fully functional, Mr. Kaiba. Would you like to use Duel Disks, or would you prefer an original duel arena?" Crowler asked.

"We will be using Duel Disks." Seto answered. "The official start time is two-thirty still?"

"That is what I have here, both you and Mr. Mutou will arrive at 1:00, be treated to lunch, time to rest, and then the duel." Crowler replied, sending his three of spades home in his game of solitaire.

"I'll assume that the rest of the information I have is valid. See you tomorrow, Dr. Crowler. Move your eight over to the red nine." Seto said, hanging up the phone, annoyed. Crowler looked up at his screen, his eyes widening as he noticed a pile headed by the eight of clubs and one ending in the nine of diamonds were at opposite sides of the screen.

-

"Solitaire again?" Mokuba asked, sitting across the table. His brother didn't respond to his question. "Okay, Seto, the plane leaves in a half-hour. Roland has taken our things to the jet. Will you speak to anything other than the phone?" Seto hadn't spoken to Mokuba since they had woken up. Seto picked up the phone again, dialing. Mokuba's cell phone started buzzing. He answered, rolling his eyes.

"Hello." he told his brother.

"Good morning, Moki. How did you sleep?" Seto asked, jokingly. Mokuba laughed.

"Fine, bro, you?" he replied.

"Not well at all, I was up all night finalizing my deck." Seto said, cracking a smile.

"That's unfortunate. You should sleep on the plane." Mokuba suggested.

"I'll have to. Hopefully my brother won't keep me up with Capsule Monster Chess the whole time." Seto said, laughing.

"It was one attack and I got over-excited. Your hologram system, your problem." Mokuba said, laughing at the childish fun that had been lacking over the past years. His phone beeped at him, informing him of another call. He connected Roland through to the conversation.

"Roland, isn't it true that the wall between my room and our personal arena is sound-proofed?" Seto asked quickly

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba, almost all of the rooms on your floor are, why do yo-" Roland got out before being interrupted.

"You see, when you can break through the soundproofing, you have the volume too loud." Seto said, brining his laughter down to a chuckle.

"Mr. Kaiba, why-" Roland tried again, only to fail.

"Oh, that's hardly fair, your door was open all night." Mokuba said.

"That's because someone hasn't gotten the air conditioner fixed for the floor, Roland" Seto blamed, taking a laugh again.

"Flight deck, Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mokuba, now for pre-flight preparation." Roland said, vaguely annoyed. He then hung up with a 'click'. Seto laughed.

"Aww, Roland, have a sense of humor. Look what you've done now, Seto." Mokuba laughed.

"Yeah, we'd better get up there before we piss him off any more." Seto said, hanging up on his brother. Seto grabbed his briefcase and coat, then started out the door, his brother following suit behind him.

--

The door closed.

--

Yugi Mutou walked down the hall from his bedroom, bag in hand, and started down the stairs. His friends and grandfather were waiting in the lobby of the Kame Game Shop for him.

"Hey guys! Ready to go?" Yugi asked, yawning. He wasn't used to waking up at four in the morning to go play card games.

"You bet." Tea said, looking down at her new pink luggage.

"Rich-boy sure knows how to schedule a flight. Seven a.m., I ought to-" Joey started.

"Kaiba's limousine is here." Grandpa called from the front door.

"Let's go!" Serenity said with excitement. She took for the door, Tristan taking both his and Serenity's behind her.

"Oh look, Yugi. A relationship that's never going to happen." Tea whispered. Yugi chuckled.

"I heard that!" Tristan called, turning his head back around. Tea and Yugi laughed at him. Joey walked out behind them.

"Come on, lovebirds, lets go…" Joey said. Tea and Yugi chuckled as they walked their luggage to the limo. Grandpa entered the luxurious vehicle last, after extinguishing the light and locking the door.

--

"So, Yugi, how was the deck building?" Serenity asked, curiously. She had been staying with her mother for the past months, leaving her in need to catch up.

"It went well, thank you. I hope its good enough to beat Kaiba." Yugi said replied.

"You'll wipe the floor with Rich-boy, like you always do. He doesn't stand a chance!" Joey exclaimed. The driver made a small chuckle-like cough.

"Well, neither Kaiba nor Yugi has the advantage in this duel." Grandpa interjected. "Yugi and Kaiba haven't dueled in months, or watched the other duel in months. "They don't know what to expect in each others decks. They can only guess on what they know about them from past experience, and predict their changes. For example, Yugi knows Kaiba has his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, but also has several dangerous traps to watch for. Then, Kaiba knows that Yugi has the Egyptian God Cards, but also has a powerful spellcaster arsenal."

"So, what you're saying is, its been a guessing game?" Tea asked.

"Precisely." Grandpa finished.

"Well, Yugi, how did you predict?" Tristan wondered. Yugi didn't answer with words. Instead, he had fallen asleep over two seats, answering with a loud snore.

"How much sleep did he get last night?" Serenity asked, caringly.

"He was up for a good chunk of the night." Grandpa answered. "He may have only gotten an hour or so." Tea lifted up Yugi's head gently, placing a small, pink pillow underneath it. Yugi noticed, giving a slow thumbs up.

"Good night, Yugi." Tea said.

--7:30 AM--

Seto Kaiba shot up from his nap. "White Ligh-!" he began, still half-asleep. He saw Mokuba asleep in the seat next to him. He turned to the window to see the ocean speeding by under them. The other copter was not yet beside them, slightly angering Seto. He had planned this day to the second, and something went wrong. How predictable

--6:50 AM--

Yugi was startled by the brakes of the limousine. He sat up quickly, only to see hundreds of people standing beside the entrance to Kaiba Corp. As the door opened the crowd cheered loudly for their dueling idol, Yugi Mutou.

"Yes, Mike, I'm standing in front of Kaiba Corp's headquarters where Yugi Mutou has just emerged from his limo. If you remember, at noon local time today, Yugi Mutou will give a title shot to his arch rival, currently ranked number two in the world, Seto Kaiba." a female reporter informed her viewers. "Let's see if we can get a word in with Mr. Mutou…" She began walking down the path, toward the car, only to be confronted by the driver of the limo.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, could I get a quick word with the King of Games?" she asked, swooping behind him, and standing next to Yugi. Yugi had just finished yawning again.

"Yugi, how are you feeling this morning?" the reporter asked with a smile.

"I'm tired. I can't wait to sleep on the helicopter." Yugi said, trying to shake his nervousness. He had never really been camera-savvy. The reporter chuckled at his answer.

"Yes, well, I won't hold you too long. Just a couple more questions. Now, I understand that you and Seto Kaiba haven't dueled in quite a long time. Do you believe that you have prepared for anything Seto can throw at him, after all, the man has access to almost every card in existence." she asked.

"Well, I think I have built my new deck well, and I'll just have to trust in my cards and believe I can win." Yugi said.

"And finally, Yugi, what are your future plans, now that you are out of high school?" she asked. As Yugi was about to answer, Roland interrupted, walking out the front door of the building.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, we have to go." he said.

"University of Tokyo, History, bye!" Yugi finished, being dragged away.

-

Inside the building, Roland greeted them hastily.

"Good morning, would you please follow me, we must hurry." he said, turning to the open elevator doors. Roland swiped a key card on the wall, revealing a button, which he pushed. The doors closed, and the elevator went up.

"Sorry we were late." Grandpa apologized to Roland, who sighed.

"It's alright. You are supposed to land at the exact same time as Mr. Kaiba, despite leaving at separate times." he explained, the doors opening to reveal a helicopter, fired up and ready to go.

"We'll load luggage, you get on board." Roland called through the noise.

"I call window seat!" Joey yelled, running with his sister onto the copter. Tristan, Tea, Yugi, and Grandpa took up the rear.

--10:45 Domino, 12:45 Acad. Island--

Seto Kaiba looked out the window to his left, now in view of the other helicopter. He could see Yugi, leaning against the chair in front of him.

"Its time for a real duel, Yugi." he said quietly, as to not wake his little brother.

"Now beginning our descent to Academy Island." an electronic voice said over the intercom.

"Mokuba, time to get up." he said, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. He woke with a yawn, which immediately spread to Seto. Seto then picked up his cell phone, dialing Roland's number.

"Roland, how long hasn't that helicopter been flying next to us?" he asked, calmly. "They weren't on time, were they?"

"When you saw us first is when we were here, and no, sir, they were not. We had a hold up from Jennifer Martin, a reporter from channel four. She administered a quick interview with Mr. Mutou before we they were able to enter the building." Roland admitted.

"That's fine, I guess." Seto said. "They're here now, and that's what matters. See you in few minutes."

"Yes sir."

-

The two helicopters landed simultaneously on the two helipads the island kept. As they followed each other out of the helicopter, they caught sight of the opposite one. This was the first time Yugi and Seto had met face to face since the Ceremonial Duel.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Chancellor Sheppard said, walking toward the converging groups.

"Yugi, this is Mr. Sheppard, Chancellor of Duel Academy." Seto introduced, motioning his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor." Yugi said, shaking his hand.

"And even more of one to meet you, Mr. Mutou." the Chancellor replied. "If you would all come this way, lunch is ready to be served."

--1:50 PM, DA--

"Alright, gentlemen, its time to take you up to the tower. Gather your duel disks, decks, and prepare to duel." Chancellor Sheppard said, placing his napkin next to his empty plate. He stood, walking in the direction of the elevator. Seto and Yugi stood up. Seto's monstrosity of a briefcase was now open on the table. Seto snatched up his duel disk, applying it to his arm, and his deck, which he kept in his hand. Yugi grabbed the duel disk from his duffel bag, his deck being in his belt.

The three entered the elevator, taking it up to the Academy Tower. The remaining guests were greeted by Dr. Crowler.

"The rest of you will be sitting in the main arena with the students. If you will follow me down this hallway, please." he said, guiding them down the hallway to the main lobby. The halls were empty, all of the students were waiting for the commencement of the duel. They received a decent amount of applause upon entering. Many people recognized Mokuba and Joey. As they were seated, they noticed a large hologram in the center of the arena. It read "Graduation Duel 2007"

-

The lights dimmed around the edges of the arena, leaving the spotlight on the center. A hologram of the now-famous Duelist Kingdom final appeared, showing Yugi defeating Pegasus with his Magician of Black Chaos.

"From the origins of Duel Moinsters…" The scene then switched to Yugi defeating Kaiba in the Battle City Semi-Finals. "to the elite Battle City Finals…" The next was a split hologram. One half was Seto obliterating Zigfried Von Schroeder, while the other half was Yugi's close defeat of Leon. "To the unforgettable Grand Championship duels, these two duelists have risen to become the greatest on the planet. They haven't dueled one another in months, and are eager to have at it again." Crowler took a breath.

"As we have no graduating class this year, the graduation match this year will be filled with a world title match between Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba!" he announced. The hologram became an exact duplicate of what was happening on the platform.

-

"Gentlemen, lets have a nice, clean duel." Sheppard said, having already witnessed the cutting and shuffling of the decks. The edges of the stadium started to light up. A hologram showing the live downstairs crowd began. Many of the worlds televisions stations began showing live feeds of the duel.

"Ready to go, Yugi?" Seto asked.

"Yes, you?" Yugi replied.

"You bet!" Seto said. They took their places on opposite sides of the arena.

"Let's duel!" Yugi 4000 vs. Seto 4000

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Before we get to the duel, my personal feelings about anime cards/rules are as follows:

Card of Sanctity: In my opinion, and in my story, Sanctity will keep its anime effect of each player drawing to six cards.

Anime Cards in General: They were used for a reason, and in the cases of some characters (Leon, Zigfried, etc.), they are necessary. Thus, if they were used in the anime, and they were not overpowering, they're fair game.

Creating Original Cards for Characters: I will strive to not create original cards, unless a situation demands. I can think of only three occurrences where I will be either changing a card effect (for good reason) or otherwise pulling one out of thin air. So, basically, I'm trying to keep it at a minimum.


	2. Chapter 2: Marathon Match, Part I

Chapter 2

"Yugi, I'll start this one off with my X- Head Cannon in attack mode _(1800/1500). _I'll then place these two cards face down and end my turn." Seto began.

"Very well, my move." Yugi said, the slightest hint of nervousness in his voice. "I'll place one card face down in defense mode, and I'll also play one card face down. That ends my turn."

Seto drew with force, adding the drawn Y-Dragon Head to his hand. "I'll play this monster in defense mode." he said, moving his hand over to the other side of his hand. "Now, X-Head Cannon, attack his facedown monster!" As the blast of light struck the card, the blobs of Marshmallon reformed on Yugi's field.

"You've activated the effect of my Marshmallon, dealing you one thousand points of damage!" _Seto- 3000._

"I end my turn." Seto said, rather displeased.

"My turn." Yugi called, drawing, brining his hand to five. "I activate Marshmallon Glasses. This card forces you to select Marshmallon as an attack target. Next, I send one card from my hand to my graveyard in order to special summon The Tricky _(2000/1200)._ Now, Tricky, attack his X-Head Cannon!"

"Go, Attack Guidance Armor." Seto called, revealing his trap card. "Redirect the attack to Marshmallon!" The blob of pink separated and reformed, much like Revival Jam.

"I end my turn with one card face down." Yugi said, passing it on to Seto. Seto happily obliged.

"I draw!" he announced. "Then I summon my Y-Dragon Head from my hand _(1500/1600)_! Next, I'll flip summon my Z-Metal Tank!"

"I chain my Tricky Spell 4 to your summon! This allows me to sacrifice my Tricky to summon three Tricky Tokens in defense mode _(DEF 1200)_." Yugi added.

"Very well. Now I activate Soul Absorption, my other face down card. For every card removed from the game, I gain five hundred life points! So now, I remove my three monsters from the game to summon my XYZ-Dragon Cannon _(2800/2600, Seto- 4500)_! Next I will use my Dragon Cannon's special effect! By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can automatically destroy Marshmallon." The fluff shattered where it floated. "Now, Dragon Cannon, attack his Tricky Token!"

"Activate trap card, Negate Attack! This card ends the Battle Phase of your turn." Yugi interrupted.

"Fine. I finish my turn with a face down card." Seto said, knowing what would come next.

"I draw." Yugi said, brining his hand count to a mere two. Two was all he needed. "I sacrifice my three Tricky Tokens, in order to summon my Slifer the Sky Dragon (1000/1000)! Next I activate my Card of Sanctity. This card causes us each to draw until we are holding six cards. Finally, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your last line of defense _(Slifer ATK- 5000)_. I know that you are aware of how Slifer's attack and defense are calculated, Kaiba."

"Just do it." Seto said, focusing on his hand.

"Slifer, attack his XYZ-Dragon Cannon, now, with Thunderforce Strike!" The Dragon disappeared in the smoke. _Seto- 2300_

"I will now play a card face down and end my turn." Yugi said. _Slifer- 4000/4000_

Seto looked up from his hand. "Yugi, in your focus on summoning Slifer the Sky Dragon to the field, you have allowed me to gather the cards necessary to defeat you!"

A rush of whispers flooded through the crowd. Even Chancellor Sheppard seemed shocked at the accusation. At this time, an unexpected visitor entered the arena unnoticed. He moved quietly and slowly, as to not attract any attention.

"I will first activate Polymerization, fusing the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my hand to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Seto said, summoning his famed creature.

"Don't forget about Slifer's effect." Yugi pointed out. "Blue-Eyes loses two thousand points _(BEUD- 2500)_!"

"I know." Seto said, annoyed. "Now I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to summon my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" The Ultimate Dragon began to crack, each time pouring more and more light into the arena. It finally deteriorated away, revealing a shiny dragon, to which Yugi had ever seen once before. "As you know, my Shining Dragon is not affected by Slifer's effect. Now, I activate the hidden ability of my Shining Dragon!" It allows me to sacrifice it and destroy any one card on the field. So, Shining Dragon, use your Shining Nova and take down Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon began to circle Slifer, increasing its speed and brightness with each passing revolution. It finally just became a blur, blinding all who attempted to witness. As the dragon let out its fury, the man who had entered the arena moments ago fell to his hands and knees in dire pain. He didn't dare make a sound, even in excruciating pain. Joey Wheeler let out a yell of disapproval.

"No way!" he complained. "His plan actually worked!"

People around the world paused for a moment to take in what had just happened. Those watching the duel on skyscraper monitors fell to a hush. Several major interstates came to a standstill. The news had shocked everyone who had seen or heard the news. It might have been considered unlawful to drive under such shock.

The field cleared, leaving Yugi's face down card, Marshmallon, and Seto's Soul Absorption.

"Now, I use this card, Monster Reborn, to bring back my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon _(4500/3800)_! Ultimate Dragon, attack with Neutron Blast!

"Reveal face down card! Dark Magic Retribution! This allows me to bring back The Tricky from the graveyard to take the assault!" Yugi called, saving himself. _Yugi-1500_

Seto, with one card and no attacks left, ended his turn by playing that last card face down. Yugi drew, planning his counterattack.

"I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back my Queen's Knight from the graveyard. Next, I summon my King's Knight. This allows me to summon Jack's Knight from my deck. Now, I activate my magic card, Double Summon. This card allows me to perform an addition normal summon this turn. So, I sacrifice my three knights." He then began chanting. Seto rolled his eyes at the chant.

"_Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first I shall call out thy name, Winged Dragon of Ra!"_

"Now, Winged Dragon of Ra _(5000/4000)_, attack his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" _Seto- 1800_

The duel had completely swapped sides. It was only five minutes ago that Seto had Yugi cornered, and now, Seto was facing his own demise, depending on what he was about to draw.

"I use Card of Demise, allowing me to draw until I have five cards, but, in five turns, I must discard my hand. Now, I use Magical Stone Excavation. By giving up two cards from my hand, I get back one spell from my graveyard. So, I get to use Monster Reborn again, to bring back my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Next, I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then, I use Monster Reincarnation. By sending Vorse Raider, I can bring back my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon back to my hand."

"No! Not again!" Tea exclaimed. The stranger who has previously entered gathered up the strength to reach his destination. The edge of the stands.

It was very apparent to the world that this duel would rank as the greatest of all time. To public knowledge, only Yugi had ever defeated an Egyptian God card without using an Egyptian God.

"I summon my Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, and activate its special ability, allowing me to destroy the Winged Dragon of Ra!" Seto announced. His words were true. Shining Dragon followed the exact same flight pattern as before, prepared to crush it in its vortex.

"Yugi!" Pegasus Crawford yelled in a warped voice from the edge of the stands, causing Yugi to look to his left.

"Pegasus?" Yugi wondered. Pegasus was stricken with another assault of pain as Ra was destroyed. He fell to the floor, shaking in agony. Chancellor Sheppard rushed over, only to be stopped by Pegasus himself.

"Don't touch me " he managed to get out, still in the warped voice from before.

Yugi turned once more to face Seto. The field was once again, eerily empty. All that remained was Kaiba's Soul Absorption, his face down card and Yugi's own Marshmallon Glasses.

"Yes, we have just received word that Yugi Mutou has lost his second Egyptian God card to Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon" said a Californian newscaster. "We will keep you updated through the hour."

"I-95 witnessed one of the largest traffic jams its seen in years earlier today, and police are still trying to get cars to keep on down the highway."

"Now, I play this card face down and end my turn." Seto said, proud of his achievements.

Yugi drew a card. "I activate Premature Burial! By giving up eight hundred life points, I can bring back my Tricky in attack mode _(2000)_!" _Yugi- 700_ "Now, I use Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. "Go, Tricky, attack Seto's life points directly!"

"I reveal my spell card, Shirnk, reducing The Tricky's attack points to 1000!" Seto responded. _Seto- 800_

"I play two cards face down and end my turn." Yugi said.

Seto drew his card. "I activate my Soul Release, in order to remove up to five cards from the game. So, I remove your Queen, King, and Jack's Knight, Marshmallon, and your Pot of Greed from the game. This, in turn, activates my Soul Absorption, giving me an additional twenty-five hundred life points. That ends my turn." _Seto- 3300_

Pegasus had come around, now sitting up against the wall.

"Please, allow me to stand." he asked. "I must witness the duel." He was adamant on what he wanted.

Yugi drew a card. "I summon my Blockman in attack mode _(ATK-1000)_. Tricky, attack his life points directly!"

"I use my face down card, Magical Trick Mirror!" Seto announced. "I use it to activate Card of Sanctity from your graveyard, forcing us to draw until we each hold six cards." _Seto- 1300_

"Very well, now, Blockman, attack him directly!" Yugi continued, drawing six cards. Seto drew five. "This ends my turn" _Seto- 300_

Seto drew to a hand of seven. "I remove Vorse Raider and Kaiser Glider from the graveyard in order to special summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon! This activates the power of my Soul Absorption, giving me one thousand life points. Now, I will activate my Dragon's special ability, allowing me to pay one thousand life points to destroy all cards on the field and deal damage to you at the rate of three hundred points per card!"

"I now activate the trap card, Divine Wrath!" Yugi announced.

"No!" Seto called back.

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can negate the effect of your Chaos Dragon and destroy it!" Yugi proclaimed. _Seto- 300_

"I use Emergency Provisions!" Seto said. "By destroying Soul Absorption, I gain back one thousand life points _(Seto- 1300)_! Next, I will play two cards face down, and activate Spell Reproduction. By discarding two spells, I can bring my Monster Reincarnation back to my hand. This ends my turn."

"My move, Kaiba." Yugi said. "First, I activate my own Emergency Provisions, gaining a thousand life points after destroying my Marshmallon Glasses _(Yugi- 1700)_. Then, I use the special ability of my Blockman, allowing me to split it up into two monster tokens. Now, I sacrifice my three monsters in order to summon my final Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor _(4000/4000)_. Obelisk, attack his life points directly! End this duel, with Fist of Fury!"

"Not so fast, Yugi! Watch this!" Seto yelled across the arena. "I activate the trap card, Trap of Darkness! By giving up one thousand life points, I can activate a trap card from the graveyard, as long as I remove that trap from the game _(Seto- 300)_! I use it to activate my Magical Trick Mirror! Then, I'll use my mirror to activate Monster Reborn from your graveyard, allowing me to bring back my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon _(4500/3800)_!"

"You know, I'm really getting sick of that dragon." Joey remarked.

"Yugi, look out!" Tea called.

"You have two choices, Yugi. Either finish your attack and lose Obelisk right here, or wait for me to destroy Obelisk next turn!" Seto said, an accomplished smirk on his face.

Yugi thought about his options. "Obelisk, cancel your attack!" he decided, moving into his second main phase.

"A wise choice, Yugi." Seto commented.

"I still have hope, Kaiba! Reveal trap, Lightforce Sword!" Yugi said. "Now, one card from your hand will be removed from the game for three turns. Monster Reincarnation is the only card in your hand, so you won't be able to summon your Shining Dragon." The sword appeared on the field, aimed at Kaiba's hand. It pierced through the card, taking it down with it.

"Oh no!" Kaiba complained.

"Now, Kaiba, I play one card face down and end my turn." Yugi confidently said, inserting the card into his duel disk.

Seto was all but happy with the current events of the duel. "_No matter, I will make do."_ he thought. "My draw, Yugi! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Obelisk the Tormentor with Neutron Blast attack!"

"I reveal my face down card, De-Fusion, splitting your monster into the three original Blue-Eyes White Dragons _(3000/2500)_." Yugi announced.

"Dian Keto the Cure Master. I end my turn." Seto said, disgruntled.

"Alright, Kaiba!" Yugi yelled, beginning his turn. "Obelisk, attack one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" Yugi expected Seto to activate his remaining face down card.. _Seto- 300 _"That ends my turn, Kaiba."

Seto drew his next card. "I activate this magic card, Fusion Recovery, allowing me to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Polymerization back to my hand. Now, I can activate that Polymerization, and once again summon my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Go, Neutron Blast attack!"

"I activate my face down card, The Regulation of Tribe!" Yugi said over the roar of the dragon. "I choose to prevent Dragon type monsters from attacking!" The dragon lowered its head.

"Fine." Seto said. "I'll end my turn."

Yugi drew. "I do not wish to destroy a monster to keep my Regulation on the field, so it is destroyed. Then, I summon my Alpha the Magnet Warrior to the field."

"A lot of good that will do." Seto commented.

"Now I activate Tribute to the Doomed. This allows me to discard a card from my hand, in order to destroy one monster on the field, and I choose to destroy my Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" Yugi announced. Seto contemplated on activating his face down card, but chose against it. "Obelisk the Tormentor, attack his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon now!" Seto stood puzzled. Obelisk's massive fists met with Blue-Eyes' Neutron Blast, and to Kaiba's surprise, both monsters shattered in front of him.

"What? Ultimate Dragon's strength was five hundred points higher than Obelisk's." Seto said, confused.

"When I activated my Tribute to the Doomed, I discarded my Archfiend of Gilfer. Its effect lowers the attack points of a monster on the field by five hundred points, meaning both monsters had equal points when I attacked." Yugi explained. "It's your move, Kaiba."

"I know!" Seto shot back, drawing. "I am required to discard my entire hand, due to the effect of my Card of Demise. I end my turn."

Yugi drew a card, smiling. "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior _(1500/1800)_."

"It's not over yet, Yugi!" Seto said. "I reveal my face down Solemn Judgement! By giving up half of my life points _(Seto- 150)_, I can negate the summoning of Gamma the Magnet Warrior!"

The field stood completely as Yugi and Seto both took a breath, ready to move on. "I play one card face down and end my turn." Yugi finished.

Seto drew his normal draw. "I can now retrieve my Monster Reincarnation because Lightforce Sword's effect is over. I play one card face down and end my turn."

Yugi drew a card. "I summon my Beta the Magnet Warrior _(1700/1600)_. Beta, attack Kaiba's life points directly!"

"I use my Command Silencer!" Seto announced. "This allows me to negate the attack of your monster, and draw a card from my deck."

"I end my turn." Yugi said, two failed attempts in the bag. Seto began his turn.

"I summon my Spear Dragon to the field _(1900/0)_! Attack his Beta the Magnet Warrior!" Yugi placed his card in the graveyard, watching his life points fall to 1500.

_Yugi 1500 vs. Seto 150_

"Now, because my Spear Dragon attacked, it moves to defense mode." Seto reminded. "I play a face down card. That ends my turn."

Yugi drew. "I use Aria from Beyond, allowing me to activate my removed from play Pot of Greed! Now, I activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer! This lets me bring my Buster Blader to my hand from my deck. Now, I activate Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my Dark Magician and my Buster Blader to summon my Dark Paladin _(5900/2400)_! Dark Paladin, attack his Spear Dragon!" The dragon was destroyed and sent to the grave.

Seto revealed his face down card, Flat Level 4. Kaiba summoned his Double Coston _(1700/1650_) while Yugi summoned Skilled White Magician _(1700/1900)_. It became Seto's turn.

"I draw, and activate the spell card Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, as long as I discard two to the graveyard. Now, I activate another Dian Keto the Cure Master, restoring my life points by 1000 _(Seto- 1150)_! Now, I activate my Lullaby of Obedience!"

"Not that card." Yugi gasped.

"Yes, now, by paying a thousand points, I can declare one level eight or higher card, and if its in your deck, it's added to my hand. I choose Dark Magician of Chaos." Seto said, beginning his walk over to Yugi, who met him in the middle. Yugi handed him the card, then returned to his original position. As Seto did the same, he began to speak. "I use my Double Coston's ability to use it as two sacrifices in order to summon Dark Magician of Chaos. Then I use Chaos' special ability, allowing me to return a spell from my grave to my hand. I bring back Card of Demise. Next, I activate Rain of Mercy, restoring both of our life points by one thousand."

_Yugi 2500 vs. Seto 1150_

"Now, I activate the trap card Exchange of the Spirit! By paying one thousand life points, I can swap all of the cards in our deck with the cards in our graveyard!" Yugi let out a tired sigh. _Seto 150_

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Joey commented, sitting down. "This duel could take hours!"

"That might be Kaiba's point." Tea pointed out.

"The continuation of the duel symbolizes the long rivalry between the two." said Pegasus, who had found the strength to stand. He posed his next thought calmly. "The only question I have is, how did I get here?"

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Another day, another duel. Or half of one. No matter what, this duel was so long, I even had to write it in halves. But, with Exchange of the Spirit on the field, Kaiba can being back his most powerful cards, including the devestating Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Why is the Shining Dragon able to destroy the Gods? Why has Pegasus doubled over in pain, notably each time and Egyptian God is destroyed? And, when the duel's done, who will come out on top?

EDIT 8/10/10: Apparently, I've been using 'Magical' for every mention of a Magnet Warrior. Oh well. Thank you to PurpleWildcat2010 for pointing that out!

EDIT 12/25/2010: In addition, I noticed that there is no plausible way for the Dark Magician Girl to end up in the graveyard when it did. Fixed.


	3. Chapter 3: Marathon Match, Part II

Chapter 3

"You came in about twenty minutes ago." Sheppard answered, giving a puzzled look. "You came down to us, doubled-over in pain, and refused to seek help."

"Yeah, and your voice changed, too." Tristan added.

"Shadi." Pegasus answered. "He's been possessing me recently."

"Possessing you?" Joey repeated. "He shouldn't even be in this world anymore."

"Shadi should have been sent back to the Spirit World when the Pharaoh was set free." Grandpa mentioned to Pegasus.

"He couldn't have been, I swear, I've seen him." Pegasus repeated, running out of breath. It was beginning to sound like crazy-talk.

"Breathe, man." Sheppard said, "We're going to take you to the medical ward, like it or not."

Yugi was once again in a corner. He knew it, the crowd new it. Seto began again.

"I use my Card of Demise, allowing me to draw five new cards! I now play two cards face down. Finally, I use United We Stand, giving my monster eight hundred additional attack points _(3600)_! Attack Dark Paladin!" Seto commanded. The chaos mage had no problem destroying the paladin. _Yugi- 1800_ "I also activate this magic card, Offerings to the Doomed, allowing me to destroy your Skilled White Magician, as long as I skip my next draw phase."

"And that will activate my face down card, Mirage Ruler! As you know, this card can only be activated if all the monsters on my field are destroyed in one turn. My Dark Paladin and my Skilled White Magician return to the field, and I also regain my five hundred life points _(2500)_. I then lose one thousand for activating it." _Yugi- 1500_

"I end my turn." Seto said.

"Good, now it's my turn." Yugi said, drawing. "I thank you, Kaiba, for allowing me to recycle my Aria from Beyond, allowing me to activate Pot of Greed." As Yugi did so, he smiled. "I've drawn my Watapon, allowing me to summon it immediately to the field because I drew it using a spell card _(200/300)_. I now activate the duo of Foolish Burial and Monster Reborn. With this I can send to the grave and summon my Obelisk the Tormentor. Next, I activate Obelisk's Special Ability, allowing me to sacrifice Watapon and Skilled Dark Magician to make Obelisk's power infinite for the turn."

Seto looked up at the beast that used to reside in his deck, trying to look confident.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack his Chaos Mage!" Yugi commanded.

"Activate magic card, Book of Moon!" Seto revealed. "This will flip my monster face down, defending my life points."

"But it didn't save your monster." Yugi pointed out. "Now, Dark Paladin, attack his life points directly!"

"Reveal trap card, Sakuretsu Armor" Seto said. "This card negates the attack and destroys your Dark Paladin. And, because Obelisk can only remain on the field for one turn when brought from the grave, it also leaves, clearing the field. Now it's my turn." Seto was unable to draw due to Offerings' effect. "I'll just pass."

Yugi picked up where he left off. "I will play this card face down and end my turn."

Seto drew his card, knowing it could possibly be the last. "I summon this, my Kaiser Sea Horse, in attack mode (1700/1650). Kaiser Sea Horse, attack Yugi's life points directly!"

"I reveal my spell card, Hyper Refresh, doubling my life points before damage calculation because your monster's attack points are higher than my life points!" Yugi interjected. _Yugi 1300 vs. Seto 150_

"I finish with the magic card Supremacy Berry, restoring my life points my two thousand points because my life points are lower." Seto said, completing his turn. _Seto 2150_

Yugi began with his draw. "I activate the magic card, Premature Burial, giving up eight hundred life points (500), and summoning my Dark Paladin to the field _(2900/2400)_! Dark Paladin, attack his Kaiser Sea Horse!" _Seto 950_ "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Seto began. "I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Then, I can activate Burial from a Different Dimension, allowing me to bring three cards that were removed from the game back into the graveyard. So, I choose Vorse Raider, Kaiser Glider, and your Dark Magician of Chaos. Now, I activate my Monster Reborn to summon your Dark Magician of Chaos _(2800)_. This allows me to bring back a spell card from my graveyard, and choose to bring back United We Stand, and I'll equip it to the Chaos Mage _(3600)_! Chaos Mage, attack his Dark Paladin!" _Yugi 300_

"It's my move." Yugi said, drawing. "I'll activate my face down spell card, Swords of Revealing Light, preventing you from attacking for three turns. I play this card face down, and end my turn.

Seto drew. "I play this one card face down and end my turn."

"My move!" Yugi said, almost yawning. "I activate Card of Sanctity, causing us to each draw to a hand of six."

"Nice, Yugi, real nice." Seto said, frowning.

"Now, I activate the card, Mystical Space Typhoon, in order to destroy the left face down card." Yugi said, dismantling Seto's Attack Guidance Armor. "Now, I activate Double Summon, allowing me to have two normal summons this turn. I can then summon Blockman (1000). Then I can activate my face down Turn Jump magic card. This moves turn count forward by six, causing my Swords to disappear, and for my Blockman to have sat through six turns. I activate his effect, allowing me to split him into the maximum five monsters."

"This can't be happening." Seto mumbled.

"Monster Reincarnation, discarding to bring back to my hand Obelisk. Now, I sacrifice three of my tokens in order to summon my Obelisk the Tormentor!" Yugi said, slamming Obelisk down onto the duel disk. "Now, Obelisk, attack his Dark Magician of Chaos!" _Seto 350 _"I end my turn"

"Yugi, I believe you have made an error in your thinking." Seto said. "You skipped over three turns, and in doing so, have made it impossible for me to discard my hand for Card of Demise."

"He did what?" Joey said in disbelief.

"He just let Kaiba keep his hand. But why?" Tea asked.

"He must have a reason." Crowler noted from behind.

Seto began again. "So, I draw! I activate Return from the Different Dimension! By giving up half of my life points, I can summon once again my X, Y, and Z components. This allows me to send them back where they came from in order to summon my XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Now I equip it with Mega morph (5600)! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack his Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"I reveal Soul Shield!" Yugi announced. "By giving up half of my life points, I can end the battle phase!" _Yugi 150 vs. Seto 175_

"I end my turn with three cards face down." Seto finished.

Yugi drew, and immediately began chanting. Seto recognized it, rolling his eyes again. "Now, I can sacrifice my three monsters in order to summon my Winged Dragon of Ra (6000/7000)! Now, I give up 149 life points in order to increase Ra's attack points by that amount _(Ra 6149, Yugi 1, XYZ 1400)_! Now, W-"

"In the end of your main phase," Seto interrupted, "I activate Limiter Removal, redoubling my monster back to its original attack points (2800)."

"Winged Dragon of Ra, attack his XYZ Dragon Cannon!" Yugi demanded.

"Activate trap card, Nutrient Z, giving me four thousand life points before your Dragon cleans me out of almost thirty-three fifty!" Seto interrupted again. _Seto 826  
_

"I end my turn with a face down card" Yugi said.

"Let's see what I can do!" Seto replied, drawing with a smile. "I use Graceful Charity, causing me to draw two cards, and discard two. Then, I play Polymerization, fusing my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons into my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon _(4500/3800)_!"

"Your Ultimate Dragon pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra." Yugi pointed out.

"I activate my face down Magical Trick Mirror, allowing me to use Card of Sanctity from your graveyard." Seto said, sealing his plan. He calmed his voice down in the silence. "My only regret is that I was unable to personally destroy all three Egyptian God cards in a single duel, legally."

"I don't know whether I should apologize for that." Yugi remarked.

"Ha." Seto laughed. "Moving on, I sacrifice my Ultimate Dragon in order to summon my Shining Dragon. I use Shining Dragon's special ability to destroy itself and your Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"Someone tell me why it looks like their having fun." Joey asked.

"They both respect each other and the game?" Tristan tried.

"They both realize that, even at each other's throats, it's still a game, and they should be having fun." Grandpa answered.

Pegasus, now sitting in the medical ward, had been watching the duel on the television. Sheppard, who was staying with him, was prepared to watch his friend curl up in pain. He didn't. Pegasus was relieved.

"So who is this Shadi person?" Sheppard asked.

"A five-thousand year old spirit that serves as the guardian of the Millennium Items." Pegasus explained off of the top of his head.

"And you say he isn't supposed to be here?" Sheppard continued.

"Not supposed to be." Pegasus said. "He was supposed to be in the afterlife along with the pharaoh."

"And the pharaoh was sent away " Sheppard tried, confusing himself.

"A ceremonial duel in Egypt, he lost, went to the afterlife, everything should be back to normal; isn't." Pegasus said, bluntly.

"Sure." Sheppard said, still not sure about what he was hearing.

The field was barren, all but Yugi's remaining face down card had disappeared.

"My turn's not over yet, Yugi!" Seto announced. "I remove Kaiser Glider and Vorse Raider from the graveyard once again to summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon! Now, Chaos Dragon, attack Yugi directly!"

"Activate trap, Mirror Force!" Yugi said. "This will destroy your Chaos Dragon and stop the attack! My move, and I'll place the card I've drawn face down on the field and pass."

"I end my turn with this card face down as well." Seto finished.

"I repeat my actions from last turn." Yugi said, taking another turn.

"And I pass" Seto said, pleased with his draw.

Yugi drew his card. "I activate the card, Exchange, allowing us to each take one card from each other's hands." Yugi and Seto approached each other.

"Son of a " Seto began.

"There are children watching this duel." Yugi said quickly.

" gun" Seto finished, censoring himself.

"I pick Spell Reproduction." Yugi said.

"And I pick Kuriboh." Seto replied, adding the card to his hand.

"Making me work, I see." Yugi said, smiling.

"Always." Seto remarked as he moved to walk back. When they returned to their original positions, Yugi began again.

"I activate Spell Reproduction, allowing me to send two spell cards to the graveyard in order to bring back my Mystical Space Typhoon. Now I activate said card, destroying your last line of defense. Now, I use the magic of Dark Magic Curtain, by giving up half of my life points, and summon my Dark Magician _(2500/2100, Yugi 1)_! Because I only have one life point left, and life points can not be decimals, my points remain at one." Yugi said, playing card after card. "I attack your life points directly."

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand to negate the damage." Seto said, as expected by Yugi.

"Very well. I now play one card face down." Yugi finished. Seto was happy to begin.

"I draw." Seto said. "Monster Reincarnation, to bring Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand. Then, I activate Ancient Rules, allowing me to summon it directly to the field _(3000/2500)_." Seto was speaking very calmly, but very fiercely, now. "Next, I activate Burst Stream of Destruction. This card will destroy your Dark Magician!" Yugi watched as his famed monster disappeared in front of him. Yugi then smiled. "I end my turn with a face down." Seto finished.

"My move!" Yugi called out. "I summon this monster in defense mode, play a face down card, and end my turn."

Seto drew. "I know what you are thinking, Yugi. I know the identity of your face down, so watch as I counter it! Soul Release, and I use it to remove my two White Dragons, my Ultimate and Shining Dragons, and your Dark Magician. Then, I can summon my Slate Warrior in attack mode _(1900)_. Now, Slate Warrior, attack his defending monster!"

"Sorry, Kaiba, you've attacked my Big-Shield Gardna, meaning you lose seven hundred life points." Yugi pointed out. _Seto 126_

"No matter, now your monster moves into attack mode." Seto added. "Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Yugi directly!"

"I reveal my face down card, Dark Magic Retribution, allowing me to bring back a monster back from my graveyard to intercept the attack!" Yugi said, summoning his Dark Paladin _(3400/2400)_. "Dark Paladin, end this duel!"

"Activate trap card, Reduction Barrier, allowing make the damage ten percent of what it is, meaning I lose forty points." Seto revealed.

_Yugi 1 vs. Seto 86_

"Dark Paladin only remains on the field for the battle." Yugi said, sending it back to the graveyard.

"I end my turn." Seto said.

"It's my move, Kaiba." Yugi reminded. "I draw. I play one card face down, and put a monster in defense mode."

"My move." Seto said, drawing. "Slate Warrior, attack his monster!" Beta the Magnet Warrior was destroyed on contact. "I end by activating the trap card Time Seal, skipping your next draw phase."

"Very well." Yugi said, doing such. "Alright Kaiba, I activate the trap card Reverse of Reverse. This allows me to activate your face down trap card, which is "

"Shadow Spell, which will now lock my Slate Warrior, preventing it from attacking and decreasing my life points by seven hundred (1200)." Seto said. "Now, it is my turn. I draw." Seto looked at his hand, with disappointment. "Unfortunately, you are in luck, because I cannot summon a monster this turn. Now, I play this card face down and end my turn."

"I draw my card, play it face down in defense mode and end my turn." Yugi said. Seto went to draw a card, noticing that it was the last card in his deck.

"Battle Ox!" he said, summoning the creature to the field. "Attack his life points directly!" Yugi immediately flipped up his trap card.

"Magical Arm Shield." Yugi said, quietly. "It intercepts your attack with your own Slate Warrior."

"What!" Seto practically yelled. "All of this for not!" Slate Warrior and the Shadow Spell shattered in front of his eyes, ending the duel and sending his life points to zero. _Yugi 1 vs. Seto 0_

As the final smoke cleared from the field, Seto had already begun making his way across the field. Yugi followed suit.

"That was the greatest duel I have ever fought." Seto said, proudly.

"And the second of mine." Yugi replied, heading for the elevator.

The holograms showing the crowd and the opposite in the main hall showing the field disappeared. It was already being called the 'Greatest Match of All Time'.

"Yugi Mutou truly is the King of Games." Pegasus commented.

* * *

**Well, here it is, the grand finale of the monumental duel. The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, though powerful, was unable to save Seto Kaiba in the second true test of Yugi's dueling skills. Now, after events and plothole filling ensues. Eventually.**

EDIT 8/10/10: Apparently, I've been using 'Magical' for every mention of a Magnet Warrior. Oh well. Thank you to PurpleWildcat2010 for pointing that out!

EDIT 12/25/10: Edited the entire duel for a crucial life point error. Merry Christmas!


	4. Chapter 4: Juilliard

Chapter 4

The elevator began the long descent down the shaft toward the main lobby. Seto and Yugi stood side by side, waiting for the doors to open. Joey lead the group out of the arena, running at top speed.

"Slow down, Joey!" Tea called.

-

"So..." Yugi began, hoping to strike a conversation.

"So." Seto replied. "Since in a few moments we're going to be bombarded with media, and Wheeler, anything you have to say?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Yugi said. Seto smiled.

"Not a problem." he remarked, turning to the buttons on the side. He took out a key from his pocket, inserting it into its hole. "Hold on." He turned the key, stopping the elevator in its tracks. The jolt startled Yugi, forcing him to grab the railing. "You have anywhere between fifteen and twenty. Sit. Speak."

"Well, my first is, what a great duel." Yugi began, sitting cross-legged.

"Epic." Seto agreed, a mixed expression on his face. He sat down, back to the wall, feet touching the opposite. "I almost succeeded in destroying all three of your Egyptian God cards."

"Unfortunately, I destroyed the last one." Yugi noted. "It was painful to do. Oh, that reminds me." Yugi motioned for his graveyard to spout out the remainder of his deck. Sorting through it, he handed Seto his Spell Reproduction. Seto then did the same for Yugi's Kuriboh. "You never make it easy."

"If I did, I wouldn't be one of the greatest duelists ever." Seto admitted. "I put most of my spare time into my deck building. I was not over-obsessive, though. I had time. Having the extra time allowed me to not only keep up with my company and my deck building, but also allowed me to spend more time with Mokuba."

"That's great." Yugi said. "I know you care about Mokuba so much. It must mean the world to him."

"I haven't seen Mokuba so happy in years." Seto added. "It makes me happy, as well."

-

"We're working on it, Crowler." a man said, assisting another employee at the control panel. "Mr. Kaiba has shut down the elevator from the inside."

"Keep working." Crowler replied.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean 'from the inside'? You mean Kaiba trapped them in there?" Joey complained.

-

"I think this is hilarious." Seto said. "Come look." Seto had retrieved his laptop from his briefcase. "Wheeler is freaking out. I think that he thinks that I'm killing you or something." Yugi crawled over to the screen.

"_But he could be against the wall, gasping for air." Joey complained._

"_Joey! My brother is not going to kill Yugi." Mokuba suggested._

"_How do you know?"_

The shaft lurched. Seto put his laptop away.

"They got it started again." Seto sighed, picking up his phone. "Quick, I have an idea."

-

"Here they come now." Mokuba said. The door opened to reveal Seto holding Yugi up against the wall, his other hand in a fist, ready to strike.

"Do you have any idea how tired I am of losing to you!" Seto yelled. Yugi had his head hung in an unconscious-like state.

"Kaiba!"

"Seto!"

Joey ran toward the elevator with fury. Slowly, Yugi lifted his head and began laughing. Seto then joined in as Joey stopped in his tracks. "You're...laughing?"

Seto set Yugi down next to him, picking up his briefcase. "When have I ever resorted to violence?"

"You threatened to kill yourself, you kidnaped Yugi's grandpa..." Tristan counted off.

"Recently?" Seto interjected.

"It's okay, guys." Yugi said. "It's my fault. I was the one who asked him to talk. I didn't mean to worry everyone." Chancellor Sheppard coughed, gaining the attention of the room.

"Back on schedule, I know that a large crowd of students and teachers are eager to see you. Both of you. But, before that can happen, you have a press conference." Sheppard announced. "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mutou, Mokuba, please follow me once again, Crowler, please escort the rest of them to my office."

-

"You." Seto said, pointing to a woman in a pink outfit. She had a paper and pencil ready to write.

"Mr. Kaiba, your duel today was one that shook the Duel Monsters world forever." she began. "Even though you eventually lost the duel, do you feel that your duel was a success?"

"Unfortunately, no. I will not rest easy until I have truly defeated Yugi. However, I do take pride in the fact that I was able to destroy Slifer and Ra." Seto answered. Yugi then called on a male reporter in a black suit.

"Mr. Mutou, you only narrowly escaped defeat today. Do you believe that, in the future, Seto will be able to defeat you?" he asked.

"We'll leave it at this. I won't make it easy for him, just as he never makes it easy for me. Next question." Yugi answered.

"Mr. Kaiba, how exactly is the Shining Dragon able to destroy an Egyptian God card, when no other card has been reported to do so outright." a reporter near the back asked.

"According to Pegasus, the Shining Dragon is a very rare and extremely powerful card. It's effect is one that is in a class by its own. That is all I know at this time. Next."

"Mr. Kaiba, Pegasus Crawford has rumored at the possibility of instituting a new system in the major league. Do you know anything about this?"

Seto sighed. "Yes. Pegasus and I have been discussing this matter over the past months. We may be prepared to release information soon, but not at the moment." Seto then searched the room for another calm reporter, writing a small note. "You." he said, pointing to the dark-haired girl in odd shaped glasses. As he did, he slid his not over to Yugi.

"_You'd think that after five years, I'd be used to this. I HATE PRESS CONFERENCES!"_

Yugi hid his laughter as Seto was answering about the rare cards used in the duel.

"Well, during the Battle City finals, I took Exchange of the Spirit from my first opponent, Ishizu Ishtar. I knew that in this duel, I would need more than just one run through of my deck to win." Seto explained.

-

Four Hours Later, 7:30 PM

-

The Obelisk Blue dorm was decked out in an extravagant fashion. All of the students had gathered to celebrate the end of the year. The kitchen had prepared a large array of trays and platters. Everyone was present, except for two. In addition, Sheppard had allowed a small portion of the media that had surrounded the island inside the building.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the end of year celebration. We shall begin the evening with our guests of honor. Please, feel free to meet with them throughout the evening. Help me welcome back Mr. Seto Kaiba and Mr. Yugi Mutou." Sheppard said. Seto and Yugi entered the room. Seto had decided to change into his white suit. Yugi had chosen his black and gray-vested outfit in lieu of his usual attire. The gathering of students and faculty applauded their entrance.

Seto and Yugi walked down the stairs, into the crowd. Cameras were flashing in the background. At the bottom, Seto began to speak.

"It is great to look out into the crowd and see the future of the world." Seto said. "It is a privlidge to be the creator of this academy, and to present the youth of Japan with a place where they can learn both life lessons and the art of Duel Monsters. I know each of you are going to become very respectable duelists. Thank you." It was then when Yugi began to speak. This came as a shock to his friends, as he had severe stage freight, despite dueling in front of millions of people.

"Hello." he said, trying to be confident. He kept thinking about the Pharaoh. "It is an honor to have dueled for you today. It is my hope that each and every one of you lives out your dreams, and be successful in your future. Always remember to believe in yourself and in your cards and you will go far. Thank you." Yugi quickly stepped backward, almost running into Seto.

"Let the party begin." Sheppard announced.

-

"I want to become a top-rate duelist, just like you." a freshman Slifer Red squeaked at Yugi.

"Yeah right." an older Obelisk Blue said standing behind him. Yugi overheard this.

"You can be anyone you want to be, no matter what others..." Yugi began, "...may think. Believing in yourself is the first step to becoming a top duelist. Think about Kaiba's confidence in duels. Not that overconfidence is a good thing, but he is very determined, and very driven." The Blue student behind him stepped forward.

"Are you seriously friends with that guy?" he asked. "He's your arch rival! How can you like the guy?"

"Respecting your opponent both on and off the field is another very important in dueling. I am more than just his rival, I am also his friend. That is how it should always be." Yugi said, hoping to change the child's opinion.

-

"You'd think that after three years, people would start to give you attention." Tea said, talking to Joey.

"Tell me about it." Joey replied. At that moment, a Ra Yellow girl approached him.

"Excuse me, sir." she said, trying to overcome her fright. "Are you Joey Wheeler?"

"That's right. What can I do for you?" Joey said, excited.

"Could I have an autograph?" she asked, holding out an open autograph book.

"Absolutely!" he said, grinning at Serenity. He picked up the book and pen, and began signing. As he finished, he noticed a familiar writing on the page after. He turned to see the signature of Mai Valentine.

"Mai Valentine." Joey said, a refreshing calm in his voice. "When did you get this?"

"It was just recently, actually." she said, quietly. "I was with my family, and we bumped into her just after she won the All-China Double Duel Tournament. We were all staying in the same hotel. We met in the elevator, and she took us to lunch with her dueling partner, Vivian Wong." Tea made a disgusted look. "I didn't like her, either." she said, noting Tea's expression.

"That's great." Joey said, smiling. "I see you haven't gotten Yugi's autograph yet."

"Well...well I was, but he's surrounded by all of those Obelisk Blue students. He doesn't have a moment alone, and..." she said, trailing off.

"Not to worry!" Joey said, seeing that in truth, she was scared of the kids. He placed a hand on her sholder and led her over.

"Thanks." she said, looking up.

"No problem. Hey, Yug!" Joey called.. "I have a girl here who's dying to have your autograph."

"Is that so?" Yugi said, turning and smiling. "I'd be happy to." The Obelisk Students around them scoffed. Thoughts were running rampant.

"_Why would he give that girl an autograph? She's a nobody! I bet she couldn't beat a Slifer Red"_

-

"Students, I would like everyone to give a round of applause for our esteemed guests." Sheppard said, "I also would like to give a special round to Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou for their outstanding duel today." He paused as the thunderous applause roared. "This has been a day that you will remember for the rest of your lives. At this time, everyone will please return to your dorms and get a good night's rest." The crowd sighed as they were escorted out of the main hall. Those who lived within the host dorm were even more difficult about leaving. As the final students had been 'shooed' from the area, Pegasus Crawford entered the room.

"Pegasus!" Yugi exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." Pegasus said. "I am speaking for myself after all, and not being controlled."

"How often is this happening?" Grandpa asked.

"About once a month. It's very annoying. Yugi, I know how you felt; you know, living with someone else inside of your mind." he replied.

"It's stressful, you're right." Yugi agreed. "Has he said anything of interest?"

"He keeps talking about the past. He has mentioned the interludes between rifts in history." Pegasus explained.

"Interludes?" Tea said quietly.

"Yes. Specifically, the time between the Atlantisian defeat of the Great Leviathan and the Pharaoh's defeat of Zorc." Pegasus elaborated. "It's been very vague, though. In addition, it only occurs on the day of the full moon. However, it was particularly horrible today."

"That's because today was a blue moon." Serenity piped up.

"A what?" Tristan asked.

"It's what they call the second full moon when two full moons happen in the same month." Grandpa explained.

"That could explain the crippling pain." Pegasus suggested. "Moving on, congratulations on your graduation." He smiled at Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea. "Any plans?"

"I want to go into history, specifically looking at the history of Duel Monsters." Yugi said.

"So you wish to study Egyptian History, as I did long ago," Pegasus replied, "not to mention your grandfather."

"It's been my dream to become a professional dancer." Tea answered.

"It's always been a goal of mine to work in Environmental Science." Tristan said, to the surprise of the room.

"Interesting." Pegasus noted.

"My future is in the world of Duel Monsters." Joey said. "I want to study dueling." Seto turned away quickly, long enough to roll his eyes and return to front without being noticed.

"All excellent futures that lie in the world ahead." Pegasus said, looking to the skies. "As President of Industrial Illusions, I hereby issue you each a scholarship. These scholarships are limitless, meaning you can use them to pay tuition and board at any college, worldwide. You do have to be accepted at the university, obviously. and for your great contribution to both my company and the world of Duel Monsters." He pulled out four envelopes, presenting them in a card like fashion.

"What's the catch?" Joey said, suspiciously.

"No catch. This is my personal gift to you four. May your futures lead you a bright and joyous world. Even in my busy schedule, I still find time to keep up with my friends. My hope for the four of you, all of you, actually, is that you all find your own path, yet never end these ties you've built." he answered. "This was my original intention on coming here today. In addition, I have one more surprise, but I don't know how you will react." Pegasus turned his attention to Tea.

"Creeping me out." Tea whispered, looking at Pegasus' eye.

"I have acquired a very interesting piece of information, Miss Gardner. You applied to the Juilliard School in New York." Pegasus said.

"That's right." Tea said, looking down. "It's the school I've always wanted to go to, but they accept so few people per year that I don't expect to get in."

"Yes, I know. They received over two thousand applications this year. I believe that they only accepted one hundred fifty or so." Pegasus informed. "It gives me great pleasure to deliver this letter of acceptance from the Juilliard School to Tea Gardner." At that moment, Tea hit the floor.

* * *

**VekuKaiba:** Aww...poor Tea, she hit her head. Oh well, continuing on, yes, Tea's due to fly off to New York in mere months to attend the school of her dreams. Only one quote comes to mind when one of the best non-yaoi couples might be ripped apart for some time. From the mastery of LittleKuriboh:_ "I wonder how this will affect...our friendship!"_

**Edit: **I've thrown Pegasus' retirement out the window. In rereading, it didn't make sense to me at all.


	5. Chapter 5: Bonds Tighten, Broken Ice

Chapter 5

—Kame Game Shop, Domino—M 6/4/07, 5:30 PM

"Happy birthday dear Yugi, happy birthday to you." the room sang in unpleasing dissonance. Yugi blew out the eighteen candles on the cake before him as Solomon flipped on the light switch.

"Let's open the presents!" Tea suggested, pointing to a pile of boxes on the table.

"Open mine first, Yugi" Joey said, pulling his from the bottom. Tea moved quickly to prevent the rest of the gifts from falling.

"Joey!" she complained, falling into a smile.

"I wonder what it could be." Yugi said, sliding his finger under the wrapper. It turned out to contain a box. Sighing, he moved on to prying open the box.

"Be careful." Joey warned. Yugi finally got through the lid to reveal a duel-disk shaped figurine. Also inside was an SD card.

"What does it do?" Tristan asked.

"The store owner told me and Serenity that it would project miniature images from the SD card." Joey said.

"What does this one project?" Yugi asked, putting it inside a designated slot. The center of the disk activated to reveal a Dark Magician. "Really cool! Thanks Joey. Tell your sister thanks, too."

"Mine next." Tristan said, stepping forward. He handed Yugi a small box wrapped in plain orange paper. Yugi opened it, revealing a Cyber Commander card in a glass case.

"Your favorite card." Yugi remarked, looking up. "I could never forget any of you, no matter what."

"Okay, Yugi. Here's mine." Tea said, handing him a rather flat package. Yugi opened it to reveal a calendar. "Open it." she added, once seeing his puzzled look. Yugi did so, opening to the first page, the month of June, showing a picture taken on his seventeenth birthday. Yugi flipped through, taking a moment to observe each group picture from their past adventures.

"I love it." Yugi said, looking up at her. "You've already placed some important dates in here." he added, looking through. Yugi's birthday was circled, as was other days. The major highlight of the calendar was August 23rd: 'Tea leaves for Juilliard'.

"In addition, I asked that it would be made to go from July to June, that way you can see all the pictures." Tea said.

"Thank you so much, Tea." Yugi said with sincerity.

"One more present." Solomon said, bringing Yugi a small rectangular box.

"Thanks, Grandpa." Yugi said, opening it.

"I may be just a little bit late, but it feels right to give it to you now. It is a tradition that when a young person graduates, they receive a watch." Solomon reminded. Yugi smiled.

"Thank you. All of you." Yugi said, looking at his closest friends.

-

—Kame Game Shop, Domino—Sa 6/9/07, 12:00 PM

"Hey Gramps, the new shipment of cards is here." Joey said, walking in carrying a large box.

"Oh good, set it down on the counter." Grandpa replied. "Let's see what we have here." He pulled out a pair of scissors and cut open the box. "I love the smell of fresh Duel Monsters packs."

"This came with it." Tristan said, walking through the door with an envelope. "It's addressed to Yugi."

"Where are they from?" Yugi asked, waiting for Tristan to hand it to him.

"Kaiba." he replied, revealing the KC logo from beneath his hand.

"Hmm..."

"What does he want, anyway? Probably asking you for another duel. Never lets it go..." Joey said, laughing to himself. Yugi opened it.

-

_Dear Mr. Yugi Mutou,_

_Mr. Kaiba cordially invites you to a meeting of the minds of Duel Monsters. As the current Duel Monsters champion, the Mr. Kaiba believes that your input is of importance in revolutionizing the game. Mr. Crawford specifically requested your presence at the conference. The meeting shall take place on Friday, June 15__th__, 2007, at 2:00 pm. Please arrive on time. We await your arrival._

_Roland_

_P.S. Mr. Kaiba wishes you a happy belated birthday._

-

"Mr. Crawford? Pegasus?" Tristan said.

"I wonder what they could want." Joey added.

"Well, they said they wanted my input on 'revolutionizing the game'. I think Kaiba said something about reforming the professional dueling league during our press conference." Yugi answered.

"Yoohoo!" said a voice at the door. Tea had entered the building. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Tea! Yugi just got invited to a meeting with Kaiba and Pegasus." Joey said.

"Oh...what do they want?" Tea asked.

"Something about Duel Monsters." Tristan said. Tea smirked.

"Figures." she commented. "So, what are we up to today?"

-

-Simultaneously, 6/8/07, 8:00 PM PDT-

-

"Thanks again, Janine!" Rebecca called out from her front door. Rebecca, being fourteen years old, was not yet allowed to drive.

"This is incredible!" Professor Arthur Hawkins exclaimed, looking through photos of a recent discovery in Antarctica. "This is just incredible, Rebecca, come in here for a second!" he called. A young girl with blond hair and glasses emerged from the foyer.

"What is it, Gramps?" she yawned, wiping her eyes. She had just sat through her Calculus class at UCLA.

"A colleague of mine just made an interesting discovery in Antarctica." Arthur answered. "There appears to be an array of tablets hidden within a temple beneath the ice."

"Made of stone?" Rebecca asked. "Oh, no...carved in ice...that makes it really difficult to read."

"In addition, he can't move the tablets, because they would be damaged if they were to ever hit warmth." Arthur added. "He sent me the best pictures that he could. The truly puzzling thing in this is that the text is in a different language on every tablet."

"But, that means that more than one race of people have been there. What languages?" Rebecca said.

"Only two were actually decipherable." Arthur responded. "One is in the ancient language of Atlantis. Another is in Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The other three are yet to be recognized."

"So...what does the one in Atlantisian mean?" Rebecca asked, curious.

"You already know. It's an exact duplicate of one of the tablets I previously discovered. It discusses the coming of the Great Leviathan." Arthur explained..

"Then it's not really a 'discovery'." Rebecca suggested.

"But, it is." Arthur restated. "Along with the tablets, they noticed several other things in the room."

"Okay, what else did they find?" Rebecca asked.

"A chunk of Orichalcum and a piece of glass." Arthur replied.

"Fascinating, Gramps." Rebecca sighed. "Send it to Mr. Mutou. He should be able to translate it. The Egyptian part, at least. And remember to send Yugi my love!" Rebecca mustered up all of the energy she could in order to make it up the stairs to her bedroom and pass out on the bed."

"Good idea. I'll do that now."

-

---Kame Game Shop, Domino—Sa 6/9/07, 6:00 PM

-

Yugi and Solomon sat down for dinner as the news came across the television screen.

"Good evening. We begin tonight by bringing you up to date on our breaking new from earlier, four people..."

"You know I don't really enjoy how they always begin the news with the recent death and destruction." Solomon noted, looking away from the fire that had taken place.

"Well, if news were all good than no one would watch it." Yugi pointed out.

"I suppose, but its dinner, and they expect us to watch this while we eat?"

"Some people don't watch television while they eat." Yugi reminded. As he did, the computer 'pinged'. Solomon stood up to find out why. Yugi looked down at his plate, eyeing which food would be first.

"A message from Arthur. Ooh!" Solomon exclaimed, sitting down at the desk. "Yugi, come quick!" Yugi, about to take a bite into his potatoes, paused. Sighing, he stood up and walked over to him.

"What is it, grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Arthur just sent me something.." Grandpa explained. He turned his head as the bright ice appeared on the screen. "Who on earth would engrave into ice?" he commented, turning his head and squinting. "Okay, here we go. Arthur says that this was discovered in Antarctica just the other day. Five ice tablets in an subterranean temple. One in Atlantisian language, one in Hieroglyphs, and three unknown. He wants me to translate the Egyptian portion of the text"

"So, what does the tablet say?" Yugi asked.

"I'll darken the image so that I can actually read it. My eyes aren't what they used to be." Solomon said, doing such. "Here we go. There are two inscriptions. The first one reads: _Through the course of seven suns, seven moons, and our esteemed extinction of Kul Elna, we, the Keepers, created these Items to defend our people and vanquish the Darkness._ Hmm...that's strange."

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"The second one says the almost the exact same thing. It just changes some of the words." Solomon said, about to read. "_Through the course of seven moons, seven suns, and my esteemed extinction of the residents of Egypt, I, the Devious Force, created these Items to correct our people and extinguish the Light._"

"Incredible! But what does it all mean?" Yugi said. "Well, I mean, the first one refers to the Millennium Items, no doubt. But the second one..."

"The story of Aknadin comes to mind." Solomon said. "Aknadin wanted to rid the world of the Pharaoh and institute Seto to the crown. Eventually, he became a dark being. Isn't that right?"

"Yes. Perhaps he wrote it when he was alone, trying to hide his true purpose." Yugi suggested.

"But, if that's true, why did he write it in ice? And what about the other tablets?" Solomon asked.

"Well, we should send what we know to Arthur." Yugi said, eyeing the potatoes from across the room.

"Will do. I hope he keeps us informed. This looks interesting." Solomon said.

"As interesting as it seems, I would like to have a little more time without evil forces interfering." Yugi said, walking back over to the table.

"Just remember Yugi, you're going into Egyptology and History. Evil forces are everything." Solomon said, laughing. "At least you have the summer, not to mention Kaiba's meeting on Friday."

"This is also Tea's last summer before she goes to New York." Yugi mentioned. "We have to spend as much time with her as possible before she leaves in August."

"I know. You know what you should do?" Solomon asked, sitting.

"What?"

"Do you remember that day before Battle City when you sent her on that date with Atem?" he asked.

"Yes..." Yugi replied cautiously.

"You should take her out on the town!" he exclaimed. "It'll be fun! Do the first thing that pops into your head! Spend the whole day together!"

"You mean, take her on a date?" Yugi inquired.

"It doesn't have to be a date." Solomon suggested. "Just a get-together to have fun before she leaves."

"We should probably do that later on in the summer, when the time comes nearer." Yugi said.

"Why wait? The more times you have days like this, the better it gets." Grandpa suggested.

"Fine. Tea is leaving tomorrow to visit her grandparents in Kyoto until Thursday. I have Kaiba's conference on Friday. So, I guess Saturday it is." Yugi agreed.

"Egyptian text away." Solomon said, hitting the 'enter' button on the keypad. "Oh, by the way, Rebecca sends you love."

"Right after you tell me to...never mind. Tell her I said 'hi'."

-

—Kame Game Shop/Tea's Home—

-

The phone began to ring. It consisted of three rings before finally getting a response.

"_It's a good thing she keeps her phone on twenty-four-seven"_ Yugi thought.

"Hello?" a voice said

"Hi Tea." Yugi replied.

"Hey, what's up Yugi?"

"I was just wondering...maybe...if you wanted to go about town on Saturday with me?" Yugi asked, nervously.

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" Tea said, excitement in her voice. "I can take you to this new café that opened up over by the arcade! This is going to be great! Let's meet at the station at noon."

"That's awesome. So, I'll see you then!" Yugi said.

"Okay, see you on Saturday!" Tea replied, closing her cell phone. This was short-lived as she opened it again to put the event in her calendar. Yugi put his phone on the hook. He let out a deep sigh, and slid down to the floor.

"Ah, the joys of youth." Solomon commented, poking his head in the doorway.

"Grandpa?!" Yugi explained.

"Sorry, Yugi, I couldn't help myself. Seeing you grow up just makes me even more proud of you." Solomon explained.


	6. Chapter 6: Preparation

Chapter 6

—KaibaCorp HQ, Domino City, Japan—F 6/15/09, 1:35 PM

-

"You only invited five people?" Mokuba asked. He was reading over the meeting agenda.

"Three excluding ourselves. Why have large groups of people bickering all day when five can work far more efficiently?" Seto replied.

"Another question, you hate half the people on this list." Mokuba pointed out.

"I don't hate Pegasus, I just find him extremely annoying. Besides, this meeting was his idea." Seto said. "His game, we should be glad to have any input at all."

"Pegasus is one story, but you had to raise a restraining order for your fifth guest!" Mokuba tried.

"He's Pegasus' business partner, and the former European champion. I hate him. I'm allowed. But he still is allowed in. Once again, not my choice." Seto explained. As he did, Roland entered the room.

"Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Crawford has arrived. Shall I send him in?" he asked. Seto gave him a 'thumbs up'. He then opened the door completely to reveal a red-suited Pegasus Crawford.

"Hello again, Kaiba-boy." he said, entering the room, offering a handshake. Seto looked down suspiciously, but soon gave in to formality. "This will be a day that proves important."

"I should hope so." Seto said. He then turned to the wall, reading the clock. 1:39. "I assume that you read over the agenda that I sent you."

"Everything but the time table." Pegasus replied. "We'll use as much time as we need per topic. I want to make sure that his goes off without a hitch. I don't want any more problems than we already have. And besides, we all know your company's image has only just bounced back, leaving it vulnerable to fall again."

"Is that a threat?" Seto asked with a displeased face.

"No, it's a warning."

"Take a seat."

-

"Mr. Kaiba will be waiting for you in his office." a KaibaCorp henchman instructed.

"Thanks." Yugi said, quietly. Yugi entered through the doors before him, and immediately across the hallway to the elevator. Roland was already inside.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mutou." he said with a blank face. "Going up." The elevator rose for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after a solid forty seconds, the door opened to reveal a hallway. Roland escorted Yugi down the hallway, to the door.

"I wonder who else is here..."

"Wait for just a minute." Roland instructed. He poked his head in the door. "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mutou is here."

"Do I really need to give you permission to send in my guest?" Seto asked.

"Uhh...no sir." Roland said, backing out of the door and sending Yugi in.

"Yugi-boy!" Pegasus said with a smile, standing. "How are you on this fine day?"

"Fine, thank you." Yugi replied. "Hi Seto; Mokuba."

"Hey, Yugi." Mokuba replied.

"Are you ready for the most boring day of your life?" Seto asked, looking at Pegasus.

"I'm not sure about that, but as long as I get home in time to actually sleep." Yugi answered.

"Oh you will. I will throw you out at some point. Whether that be by door or by window." Seto said, staring at the door. Two sets of footsteps approached.

"Mr. Kaiba, your final guest has arrived." Roland said.

"Send it in." Seto ordered. On that note, Zigfried von Schroeder entered the room.

"Didn't you get a r-" Pegasus began.

"I got it lifted for the day." Seto assured him. Yugi chuckled.

"You actually..."

"Yes."

"My apologies on not arriving earlier, I was rereading New Moon, and it was extremely slow-going." Zigfried said. Seto almost threw up in his mouth.

"I know...I hated reading the middle." Pegasus agreed. "Okay, so, we're all here, let's begin the festivities! Sit down, prepare to discuss!"

"Yes, but what are we discussing?" Yugi asked.

"Only the most boring topic ever." Seto blurted out. Pegasus ignored him.

"We are attempting to truly organize the world of Duel Monsters. And, If we are ready, gentlemen, we can begin."

-

"First on the agenda, ignoring the times listed, is the review of current organized play. Currently, we have various regional and state tournaments. These tournaments produce competitors for National Championships. However, this is where the chain lets go." Pegasus began.

"Except in South America and Europe." Zigfried pointed out. "At that point, we have our Continental Championships."

"Yes, well, the point is that, after that, we have nothing. We go by a freelance tournament ranking system. Ergo, I'm sitting in the room with, although in this case undoubtedly, the number one duelist in the world." Pegasus explained.

"Yes, but if you remember, the rankings we used for the Grand Championship came from the Kaiba Corp. Duel Disk database. My computer has ranked duelists ever since the beginning of Battle City." Kaiba added.

"Yes, but if you recall, Duel Monsters was prevalent long before Battle City. Surely you can't have all of the records." Zigfried said, giving Kaiba a distasteful stare.

"No, I don't." Seto replied, returning the glare. "But, I know someone who has quite the collection." He looked at Pegasus. Mokuba, who was acting as scribe, had to type quickly to catch every major thought.

"Back on topic..." Yugi suggested, trying to avoid getting lost.

"Thank you." Pegasus said. "So, through the process of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, we were able to find a champion. However, if we look at the Grand Championship, only two people in contention had ever competed in those tournaments. One if you exclude Yugi."

"So you're saying that both your tournaments were pointless because we were unable to truly identify title-worthy duelists?" Yugi said, displeased.

"Until we got to the Grand Championship, in which I did the right thing and invited all of the correct duelists, is that not correct?" Kaiba smirked.

"Yes, and no." Zigfried said. "You invited all of the following: The, some now being former, champions from the United States, Australia, England, India, Siberia, and Australia. Then there was me, the former European Champion, and my brother, the current. The Asian Champion, Vivian Wong. Joey Wheeler, from your Battle City tournament. And finally, that Solomon Mutou character."

"With exception, what's your point?" Seto asked.

"My point is, you rely too much on power alone. Example, Leon defeated both the Australian and American champions along the way. A child who was not yet the champion of any region!" Zigfried explained.

"I think what Zigfried is trying to say is that the champion of any given region is not the only representative of that region's dueling prowess, and that others beneath the champion still fare as good a chance as any other person competing." Yugi said. The room stayed quiet for a moment, leaving Pegasus to break the silence.

"This is why I requested that Yugi be here, gentlemen. He is not just the Champion of my game. He is also able to make peace among those of conflicting ideas." Pegasus said. "This brings us to item two on our agenda, which is to decide upon the most logical and fair way to go about this World Championship matter. Mokuba, please refresh us on what we have just discussed."

"As Roland kindly brings up lunch." Seto added, looking rather annoyed.

"Okay, in this World Championship, it has been stated that it needs to include people that are not just the champions of any given region, but there runners up as well, and in addition, those people who have done well in other tournaments, that are not otherwise recognized." Mokuba said. "In my opinion, a larger version of the Grand Championship."

"Thank you. Now, If we'll all look at this screen," Pegasus began, projecting his laptop onto a wall. "you'll see that I have pre-prepared a map. This map will record how many competitors will be coming from each region. The first question is how many people should compete overall."

"And remember people, a bracketing multiple would be nice to work with." Seto added. Roland reentered, pushing in a cart of plates. He handed them out one by one to their proper eater.

"Either sixty-four or one hundred twenty-eight." Zigfried suggested.

"Oh yes, and I have forgotten to mention that some spots should automatically be reserved." Pegasus said.

"Why?" Yugi asked.

"The top duelists haven't participated in any regional tournaments. Exhibits 'A' and 'B'; the both of you." Pegasus answered, looking at Yugi and Seto. "As for your comment, well, sixty-four is rather small, while 128 is rather large."

"I say that we count it out by region." Seto said. "That way more invitations go to where they are deserved.."

"Good idea." Zigfried complimented. Yugi looked confounded. "As harsh as that sounds, Herr Kaiba's idea points out that Duel Monsters is a game that is more so played in certain areas of the world. More people, more talent."

-

---Tristan's House, 2:30pm—

"You must be really excited!" Serenity Wheeler said through here webcam.

"I am." Tristan assured her, a bittersweet sound to his voice. Just then, he could hear a beeping sound from Serenity's side of the conversation.

"Hmm..." she said. "Oh, hey Duke!"

"_Duke?!?! What does he want?" _Tristan thought.

"Hey Serenity. What'cha up to?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just talking to Tristan." Serenity replied. Tristan's heart sunk.

"_Nothing...much..."_

"I see." Duke began. "And what is little Tristan up to these days?" Serenity clicked an array of buttons merging the two conversations.

"Moving toward the future." Tristan replied, head held high.

"And where does the future lead you?" Duke asked mockingly.

"To college, for Environmental Sciences." Tristan said.

"Wonderful." Duke sighed, a half-grin leaving his face. "Well, I was just wondering if Serenity wanted to go catch a movie."

"Which one?" Serenity asked.

"You pick." Serenity thought on it for a moment.

"How about all three of us go see that penguin movie that I saw. What was it again..." she asked.

"Surf's Up." Tristan tried.

"That's the one!" Serenity exclaimed. "We can all go see that. Maybe Joey would want to come." Duke and Tristan both looked at one another with signs of distress. "I'll call him later."

"So what, seven o' clock showing?" Tristan asked. "I'll pick you up around-"

"How about I pick you up at 6:30." Duke interjected, using a cool, smooth voice.

"That would be great." Serenity said. "Should we go to the Cinaplex?"

"Yeah." Tristan said. "That'll be fine."

"Okay." Serenity said, beaming. "I'll see you guys later!" Serenity cut off her end of the conversation feed, leaving Tristan and Duke.

"Good bye." Duke said coldly, punching a button on his keyboard. Tristan's screen went black. He leaned back in his chair, searching his mind.

-

—KCHQ- 3:00P—

"Well, I must admit that 128 wasn't as big as I thought, after all." Pegasus said, looking at the list they had configured.

"Let's run this over one more time, just to be sure." Zigfried suggested.

"Fine. North America has five regions, they are the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Greenland. Each gets four representatives, with no Continental Championship. Total number is twenty." Pegasus read.

"South America has two regions, we said. Brazil, which takes four, and the remaining Spanish-speaking countries receiving eight. They then play a Continental Championship amongst themselves. Total number is twelve." Yugi recited.

"In Europe, we have ten regions." Zigfried began. They are the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the Scandinavian Peninsula, including Iceland, Western Russia, North-Central Europe, and South-Central Europe. Those last two are being split as being above Austria, Hungary, and Romania, versus not. The first six get three, while the rest get four, followed by a Continental Championship to rank themselves. Total is thirty-four."

"Africa." Yugi began. "Four for each North-Western, Central, Southern Africa, there is a Continental, total is twelve."

"Asia has seven regions." Pegasus said. "Siberia, the Middle East, Southern Asia, India, China, Korea, Indonesia. All get four, with a Continental, total is twenty eight."

Seto then looked over at the screen. "I'll skip the next and go the bottom. Australia has four, New Zealand has three, Oceania has three. No Continental, total is ten."

"Japan." Mokuba said, solemnly. "After much consideration, Japan is to receive its own four representatives. It will be excluded from participation in the Asian Continental Championship. Total representatives listed: 120. Eight to go."

"That's everywhere in the world." Seto explained. "Now I believe that you said something about reserving seats earlier, Pegasus."

"Yes. Anyone with undisputable dueling prominence should be invited to the tournament. Who do you have?" Pegasus asked. Seto typed a few buttons on his laptop.

"Here we are, the top eight duelists in the world, as decided upon by the Kaiba Corporation supercomputer." Seto announced. "I truly haven't checked in a while, myself." The computer's smooth voice came on.

"_Duel Monsters World Rankings: Rank Eight- Vivian Wong of China- 4250 Duel Points."_

"Duel Points?" Yugi asked, shuttering at the name.

"It's the unit that my database uses to rank. Its not a traditional ranking system in the sense that it only collects points, only rarely taking points away.

"Interesting." Pegasus said.

"_Rank Seven- Mai Valentine of Japan- 4282 Lifetime Duel Points."_

"Awesome!" Yugi said, looking at Mai's picture.

"_Rank Six- Zigfried von Schroeder of Germany- 5315 Lifetime Duel Points."_

Kaiba swore as an overly-large grin appeared on Zigfried's face.

"What's the matter?" Zigfried chuckled out. Kaiba buried his face in his hands.

"_Rank Five- Joseph Wheeler of Japan- 5970 Lifetime Duel Points."_

The announcement did not excite Seto any further. Yugi smiled with excitement.

"_Rank Four- Rebecca Hawkins of the United States- 7563 Lifetime Duel Points."_

"Well, Kaiba, sit up." Zigfried said. "We all know who's next."

"_Rank Three- Leon von Schroeder of Germany- 7790 Lifetime Duel Points."_

"Oh no, what a surprise!" Kaiba said, sarcastically.

"_Rank Two- Seto Kaiba of Japan- 7931 Lifetime Duel Points."_

"Still ranked over both you and your brother." Kaiba said, looking into Zigfried's eyes.

"That may be, but there is one person over you." Zigfried replied, pointing at Yugi. "The question now stands for me: how many of your computer's little 'duel points' is he ahead of you."

"_Rank One- Yugi Mutou of Japan- 9800 Lifetime Duel Points."_

Pegasus, to the rooms shock, was the first one to lose it. "Two thousand!" he roared. Zigfried laughed as Kaiba returned to looking at his floor.

"It looks like you have some catching up to do." he smiled.

"That's enough." a voice rang out. It was not that of a Kaiba. It was Yugi. "Don't poke fun." Seto looked up at Yugi, giving a secret smile, then returning upright with the same responsible grin.

"Computer, find ranking for Pegasus J. Crawford." Seto said.

"_Duelist Pegasus J. Crawford of the United States- Duel Rank- Fifteen- 2514 Lifetime Duel Points."_

"I rest my case."

"Fine." Pegasus said, closing his mouth.

-

—Joey's House, 3:30P—

"You are going to see a movie with who?" Joey exclaimed, filled with rage.

"Tristan and Duke." Serenity replied again. "I was calling to see if you wanted to come with us." Joey's face reconfigured itself.

"I would love to go." he replied, smirking. I'll hook up with Tristan for a ride."

"That's great! Thanks, big brother." Serenity said, smiling.

"Anything for you, sis. See you later." Joey said, clicking the end button. He then punched in Tristan's number.

-

"Hello?" Tristan answered.

"You're taking me with you." Joey said, calmly.

"To..."

"To the movies with my sister. She just invited me. And I said yes." Joey finished.

"Oh. Okay. I'll swing by your place around six tonight." Tristan offered.

"That's fine." Joey said. "See ya'."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**- I, for one, can't wait to see the madness ensuing with Joey accompanying Tristan and Duke on their movie with Serenity. Also, apparently Serenity likes penguins. Back on topic, I got to embarrass my favorite character in this chapter. Oh, goody. What shall happen as the sun sets, and as day succumbs to night?

EDIT: OMG!!! How stupid do I feel for looking at the July calendar for 2007 while my story takes place in June...oh well. Changed all Ch.5&6 dates to correct dates. Sorry!

EDIT2: Wow, I was reading back, and I discovered that I had switch reactions for Mai and Zigfried. Embarassing...oh well. Fixed!


	7. Chapter 7: Sebastian

Chapter 7

—KCHQ, 4:30—

"Okay, that clears up that last bit of dispute. So the Rank Five from the United States will take Rebecca's open position, similarly in China with Ms. Wong, while Ranks Four and Five of Germany will take both Zigfried and Leon's open positions." Pegasus said.

"Is there anything else?" Seto asked, ready to yawn.

"If you hadn't thrown away your agenda, you would know." Pegasus replied. "Were on the antepenultimate topic.

"World Championship 2007." Yugi recited from his paper. "This year?"

"Dear child, what year is it?" Zigfried laughed.

"Okay, okay." Pegasus, regaining the room. "Countries have already completed the process of holding National Championships and the like. We shall now send out instructions to the Duel Monsters Committees in each continent that will hold a "New Continental Championship". These are, again, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. They then will jointly meet and decide when and where it will be held, as long as it falls between now and the end of the month, and in a large, accessible stadium."

"And this will only affect their in-tournament ranking, right?" Zigfried asked.

"Yes." Pegasus replied.

"However, each of these duels will be worth a whopping eight Duel Points." Seto added. "This won't be enough to rock any boats, though."

"Moving to the penultimate item, where will we hold this grand tournament?" Pegasus asked.

"Kaiba Land." Seto said. "Something we can all agree on, yes?" Zigfried nodded his head, as did Yugi. Pegasus had a mixed expression.

"That's fine. Which one, though?" Pegasus asked.

"How many are there?" Yugi wondered.

"There are three. One is in California, the second in England, and then the original is here, in Domino City." Seto recited.

"We could decide later." Mokuba said. "Seto, I think that we should review each park, and make our decision later this month."

"I agree. We'll announce our decision on the first." Seto said.

"Alright, then. We shall reconvene here on Sunday, July 1st to finalize any and all details about out upcoming World Championship, of which the opening ceremonies should begin on or around July 13th." Pegasus announced.

"That's a Friday, isn't it?" Zigfried asked.

"You bet it is." Pegasus replied. "What better day to choose?"

"Are we done yet?" Seto moaned.

"There is one piece of business that I wish to bring up before we vacate the premises." Pegasus said, giving a stern look to Seto. "It is my opinion that we should increase the base life points in a duel from four thousand to eight thousand." Mokuba raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that a bit...much." he asked.

"I don't see why not. You may have more life points to deplete, but you have more life points to work with." Pegasus argued. "We've been working with four thousand for two years."

"On the downside, the length of a standard duel would be doubled." Zigfried pointed out.

"Not necessarily. More life points to spend. My prime example is Injection Fairy Lily. In today's world, Lily's effect would only be activated once without an increase in life points. With eight, Lily could use her effect three times." Pegasus explained.

"You're right." Yugi agreed.

"Alright, let's discuss this when we reconvene." Seto suggested.

"Yes." Pegasus said. "Everyone take two of these cards." He pulled out an envelope from his breast pocket. Opening it, he counted out six and pulled them out. "Insert these into the Field Spell Zone on your duel disk before you begin a duel if you want to try out an eight-thousand point duel. If we collect a couple of samples, we can gather the appropriate data to discuss next meeting."

"Oh, one more thing." Mokuba chimed in. "For the most part, this meeting is highly confidential. This is going to be a surprise, one step at a time."

"Now Kaiba, the words you've been waiting for all day." Pegasus announced.

"And those would be?" he asked.

"Meeting is adjourned." Pegasus replied, gazing across the room.

"Get out of my office."

-

—On the Road, 6:40P, F-6/15—

"I don't like the idea of him being around my sister." Joey said, eyeing Tristan. The car jolted on a bump in the road. "Not that I personally enjoy you with her either. No offense." Tristan masked his flash of sadness.

"I understand, dude." he said, focusing front.

"I mean, come on. Both of you are three-and-a-half years older than her. You're eighteen, she's gonna' be fifteen. It's just not right." Joey said.

'Better than someone whose eight years older." Tristan remarked, slowing for the red light. Lights flashed in front of him as traffic crossed.

"What do you mean by that?" Joey asked.

"Mai. She's twenty-five, man." Tristan replied, turning to look at his friend. Joey reddened, searching for his excuse.

"But...that's not relevant to the situation." Joey tried.

"How so?" Tristan said, the light turning green in front of him.

"I'm an adult. I'm responsible for whatever I do now. Besides, Mai and I haven't seen each other since..."

"-your birthday." Tristan finished for him, making a right turn. "She came into town just to help celebrate your eighteenth birthday." Joey sighed.

"If you would have remembered correctly, you would know that she was also in for a photo shoot on the..." Joey began.

"In the middle of winter." Tristan said, silencing Joey. "It was forty-five degrees outside that day. She came for you, and only you." Tristan put on the brake.

"Mai isn't my sister." Joey said calmly, getting out of the car. It was positioned in a perfect example of a parallel parking job. "Someone can park well."

"And you people said I couldn't drive for...hi Serenity!" Tristan said, waving his arms in the air.

"Hey look, it's Joey and Tristan!" she said, waving back.

"_About time."_ Duke thought.

"You're just in time." Serenity said, giving her brother a hug.

"So, Surf's Up, is it? Sounds good to me. Three adults, one student, please." Joey asked to the teller. He pulled out his wallet, producing banknotes.

"Theater number four on the left. Enjoy the movie." she replied in a dull manner. Joey led the group inside the theater.

"Who wants popcorn?" Joey said, raising his voice in a jolly manner.

"I do." Duke replied.

"Good for you, get your wallet out. Counter's over there." Joey advised. "Serenity, what do you want. It's on me."

"I'll just have some popcorn and a coke. Ooh, and a package of Pocky!" she replied, looking at her options. "Maybe we should all just share a jumbo popcorn. It would save money."

Joey hesitated, looking at both Tristan and Duke. "Alright." He approached the counter girl. "One Jumbo Popcorn, two cokes, a pack of Pocky. Tristan, Duke, anything?"

"Coke." Tristan said.

"Pocky." Duke said. Serenity chuckled at the sternness of their voices.

"Relax guys. It's just candy." Tristan and Duke looked at one another, forcing smiles to appear on their faces. Joey didn't notice, counting out money on the table.

"Here you go." Tristan said, placing his money on the table; Duke following suit.

"Thank you." the counter girl said, turning away to grab her water bottle.

"Any time." Joey said, turning around. "Let's go in."

-

—Kame Game Shop, 7:15P—

"I think I'll wear this." Yugi said, pulling out a gray vest. "No, no. Maybe I should wear this one." He held a red shirt to his body. "Oh, what about..."

"Yugi...are you okay in there." Solomon called from the staircase.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to figure out what I should wear." Yugi called back, picking up a black shirt.

"Just be yourself." Solomon reminded.

"I know." Yugi replied. "I've got it. I'll wear this." He held up to the mirror a black shirt with blue jeans. "This is simple enough. It's not like I'll be needing frills." With that, he fell backwards onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"_Calm down, Yugi. It's just a friendly get-together."_ Yugi thought. "Alright, clothes. Who wants to hang themselves up? Come on...don't be shy."

"Well, I'm not doing it." Solomon said, walking in the bedroom door. Yugi chuckled. "Nervous?"

"A little." Yugi replied.

"It's perfectly natural." Solomon replied. "Just relax, be yourself, and over all, have fun. Kind of like playing a game of Duel Monsters."

"I know. It's just that, this is kind of awkward. I feel like a little teenager, almost, worrying about all of this." Yugi said.

"Last time I checked, the number eighteen had the word 'teen' attached to the end." Solomon reminded. "It doesn't have to all come at once. Take your time. You're young. Enjoy it while you can."

"I don't have that much time, grandpa." Yugi said. "The Duel Monsters World Championships begin in July. I have to compete, which means that I have to prepare. The more I prepare the less free time I have. I also have to riddle out my own college life." Solomon sighed.

"I know. But we can plan out all the rest together. You have to deal with this one thing on your own." he said, placing his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "You of all people can do it."

"Thanks Grandpa."

-

—Cinaplex, 7:25P—

Tristan reached to his left to grab a handful of popcorn from the bucket. He, regrettably, hadn't been enjoying the movie as much as he should have. Joey had instructed Serenity to sit between Tristan and Duke. Joey, meanwhile, was sitting directly behind Serenity. Duke was on Serenity's left, casually eating a stick of Pocky. In front of them, Surf's Up played on. Serenity's eyes were transfixed on the screen.

"Aww..." she sighed, digging for some popcorn. Duke, leaning backward motioned to place his hand inside the bucket. He felt another hand inside the bucket, casually grabbing it. Joey sat up, looking inquisitively into the row in front of him. He rose his hand in a fist, ready to strike a blow. Slowly, that hand transferred to his mouth.

"_Wow, five seconds and I'm still alive."_ Tristan thought.

Duke turned to look at Serenity, hand still clenched in the bowl. Serenity turned to face Duke. He leaned forward with a smile. Serenity moved her hand, containing ball of popcorn, to her mouth and took a bite. Duke's eyes widened. He slowly moved his head a few inches to the left, spying into the bowl. Tristan also turned to the bowl. Both men yelled as they split their hands apart, sending the remainder of the bowl of popcorn flying.

'Shh!" the theater hissed, turning to stare at the distraction. Joey gave his best efforts to contain his laughter, even resorting to curling up into a ball on the floor, shaking.

"Oh, now look what you did!" Tristan said, competing with the movie volume.

"I did? Speak for yourself?" Duke replied, even more intrusively.

"Stop talking!" an elderly man from the back called. His prayer was quickly answered. The movie usher began walking toward Tristan and Duke, waving his glowing baton.

"Guys...maybe you should sit down." Serenity said quietly.

"I'm going to have to ask the both of you to leave, since you clearly can't quiet down enough to allow the other customers to enjoy the movie." he said in a stern whisper.

"What?" Duke yelled. "He's the one who shouldn't be here! If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be having this problem!"

"Yeah right!" Tristan shot back. "If you'll remember, you interrupted my conversation with her to ask her out on this movie adventure!"

"Stop it, both of you." Serenity yelled, standing up. The scowl on her face rivaled that of Seto Kaiba. Joey looked up from his hideaway. Only the movie in the background existed in the audible world.

"I'll ask you peacefully." The usher said. "Leave."

Tristan and Duke first looked at one another, then to Serenity.

"We'll be outside." Tristan said, looking at Serenity. Turning around, he slowly walked out of the theater. Duke followed suit, head hanging.

"Did you bring anyone else with you?" the usher whispered.

"That would be me. I'm her brother." Joey said, jumping over the row of chairs and landing in Duke's seat. "I'll take it from here." he added, placing his arm around his sister's shoulder.

"Okay. Attention, everybody! We at the Cinaplex apologize for the disruption. I will now run up to the booth to have the movie rewound." he said, receiving applause. Serenity looked at Joey and sighed.

-

—Domino Station, 11:58A, Sa.6/16—

-

"Made it!" Tea said to herself, resting on a pillar. "I thought I was going to be late for sure." Tea scanned over the open area in front of the station, brushing her brown hair out of the way of peripheral vision . "Yugi's not here yet." she guessed.

Yugi turned the corner into the station courtyard. Catching sight of Tea, he stopped, dashing behind the wall.

"Okay Yugi. Get a hold on yourself." he said to himself. Taking a deep breath, he turned the corner once again.

"Tea!" he called, just as the clock tower struck twelve.

"Hey, Yugi!" she replied, half-running over to him. "How have you been?"

'Great." Yugi answered, smiling up at her. "So, where's this café you told me about?"

"It's just over there, on the next street." Tea said, pointing to her left. "Want to go now?"

"Well...do you?" Yugi asked, sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, I'm starving. I didn't have breakfast this morning." Tea explained.

"Alright! Let's go!" Yugi said, taking the first step.

"So, how was your meeting with Kaiba yesterday." Tea said, striking a conversation.

"Seto warned me before we began that it would be exceedingly boring. It wasn't so bad, though. We just talked for hours on end about the World Championship Tournament." Yugi replied.

"Oh. Is there going to be a tournament this year?" Tea asked.

"It's on the down low." Yugi said, pushing the crosswalk button. The café, now across from them, was situated on a street corner, adorned with green awnings. A single table decorated the slanted window, with the door on the right. "Wait until we're inside."

"Alright." Tea said, watching the little man appear on the walk sign.

"So, how was your grandparents' house?" Yugi asked, referring to her trip.

"Oh, Kyoto was beautiful." Tea said, crossing the center line in the road. "Grandma and I baked on Wednesday. And then that night, we had a party for her _seventieth_ birthday."

"She turned seventy?" Yugi repeated. "Good for her."

"I know. We baked forever that afternoon." Tea said, stepping up to the front door. Yugi quickly stepped up to open it for her. "Thanks, Yugi." she said, stepping inside.

"Just two today?" the maitre d' asked.

"Yes." Yugi replied.

"Right this way, Mr. Mutou." she replied, turning around. She escorted around the corner, toward the front window.

"Do you know her?" Tea whispered.

"Nope." Yugi replied.

"Here we go." she said, pointing to the center window table. "Our customers have said that this table holds the best view of Domino Park. Here are your menus."

"Thank you." Yugi said, pulling out Tea's chair. The maitre d' moved over to Yugi's chair, pulling it out for him. Tea's face slowly turned into a scowl.

"Thank you, Yugi." she growled, looking up at the woman, waiting for her to leave.

"Your waiter will be right with you." the maitre d' sighed, looking at Tea, and turning to leave.

"Anyhow, my grandma was really full of energy. It was a sight to behold." Tea finished, lowering her voice. "Now what were you saying about the tournament?"

Yugi leaned into the table, putting the menu up against the right side of his head. "Pegasus said that we would meet again on the first of July to finalize. He said it would begin around the thirteenth." he whispered.

"Is Joey invited?" Tea asked, mimicking Yugi with her menu.

"Yes. Me, him, Rebecca, both Von Schroeders, Kaiba, et cetera." Yugi recalled off the top of his head.

"_Ugh...Rebecca"_ Tea thought, forcing a smile. "Do we know where it's going to be?"

"One of the Kaiba Land parks most likely." Yugi said. "I don't know which one, though. Kaiba said he would make his decision this month, and tell us later."

"Oy! We don't allow snoggin' in 'ere" a blonde man said, walking up to Yugi and Tea's table. Yugi immediately looked up from his conversation spot.

"What?" Tea snapped.

"Snogging?" Yugi repeated.

"British, Yugi. British." Tea replied, in deep monotone.

"Don't think I don't know what you two's been doing in there." he said.

"Oh, you thought we were...we were just talking privately." Yugi said.

"Oh were ya, now." he said. "Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm Sebastian, your waiter. Can I start you two lovebirds off with a drink?"

"I'll have a water." Tea ordered, Yugi blushing across from her.

"Uhh...I'll just have a coke." Yugi said, quietly.

"Is Pepsi alright?" Sebastian asked.

"No, it's not." Yugi replied, looking up. Sebastian gave a puzzled look. "And that's what you get." Yugi gave a smile, showing his joke. "Pepsi's fine."

"Ahh...a trickster is see." Sebastian said, chuckling. "I'll be right back with those."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Horray! Love is in the air. Poor Serenity, though. Will she manage? And we met my first new character- Sebastian. We'll learn about him in due time. Still kind of sore about my calendar mishap, though (Chapter 6 edit notice). Oh well, water under the bridge...

_Note_: I've also gone back to Chapter One, where I've listed my preferences concerning various topics on card effects, anime cards, et cetera. If you think about that carefully, spoiler...


	8. Chapter 8: American AllStars

Chapter 8

"Well, someone's a bit creepy." Tea said, opening her menu.

"Tell me about it." Yugi agreed, following suit. "As cheesy as it is, I think I'll have a cheeseburger..."

"Have whatever you li-" Tea said, before falling into deep chuckle. Yugi caught on quickly.

"Cheese...cheeseburger..." Yugi stuttered, blushing through laughter.

"You wouldn't happen to be laughing at me, would you?" Sebastian asked, approaching the table. "That was water for you, miss, and a Pepsi for Yugi. Do you still need time to figure out what you want?"

"Yes, please." Tea said.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few." Sebastian said, walking away once more.

"Well, we'll be here to cheer you on the whole way though." Tea told Yugi.

"Thanks." Yugi replied. "And, I'll be sure to spend just as much time with you. We'll! All of us!" Tea smiled, returning to her menu.

"So, I think I'll have the chicken." Tea decided. "With a salad."

"I might have the potato soup." Yugi said.

"And for main course, Yugi?" Sebastian asked, now sitting in a chair at the end of the table. Tea jumped.

"When did you-! Oh, never mind." Tea said, shock in her voice.

"I'll have a cheeseburger, please." Yugi replied, putting down the menu.

"Is that all for the both of you?" he asked.

"I think so." Tea said.

"I'll be back." he finished, getting up to place the order.

"Do you think we could complain to the management if he annoys us?" Tea asked, half-serious.

"It seems like he's just trying to have fun." Yugi said. "Not that I'm a big fan, but..."

"Yeah." Tea said. "So, what do you want to do after we eat?"

"Well, we could walk around town." Yugi suggested. "We could go to the arcade."

"If and only if Johnny Steps is nowhere near." Tea advised.

"So, what brings the two of you here today?" Sebastian asked, sitting back down. "A date?"

"No!" Yugi and Tea said simultaneously, looking at each other soon after.

"Aha!" Sebastian said, cluing in.

"We're spending the afternoon together because I'm leaving for college, nosy." Tea said.

"Precisely." Yugi agreed.

"Sure. So, Yugi, I watched your duel with Kaiba a few weeks ago. It was epic." Sebastian complimented.

"Oh...thanks." Yugi said, smiling. He looked at Sebastian carefully.

"What is it, Yugi?" Tea asked, watching his gaze.

"I've seen you before." Yugi said, thinking deeply. Across the room, he spied a shiny, silver trophy on the back shelf. "Sebastian Roux, Japanese National Runner-Up this year."

"That's right!" Sebastian said, smiling, offering a handshake. Yugi obliged. "I was wondering if you would recognize me!"

"Yes, well, I had forgotten that the competition had occurred. I had a long day, yesterday." Yugi explained, giving Tea a 'sorry' expression. Tea responded with a sigh.

"Oh, not to worry. Mako gets the major notice for winning, and all."

"Mako? Mako Tsunami?" Tea asked, baffled.

"The very same." Sebastian said.

"Wow. He had a turn around." Tea noted.

"I'll say." Yugi added. "So, you work here?"

"Yes. A bloke's got to make a living, you know. The National Championship doesn't have a monetary prize." he explained. "But, rumors have been going around that Pegasus and Kaiba are holding secret meetings. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get an invitation to a major tournament." Tea's gaze struck Yugi.

"I'm sure you'll get a big break." Yugi said, withholding the entire truth.

"Sebastian!" the maitre d' called. "You're order is up!"

"I'll be right back." he said, standing up, this time putting the chair back.

"So much for a secret meeting." Tea remarked, taking a sip of her water.

"Well, no one knows what really happened during, so..." Yugi said.

"He's getting an invitation, isn't he?" Tea said, monotone.

"Oh yes." Yugi replied, raising his eyebrows slightly. Sebastian returned with a tray of food.

"Soup and salad." he said. "I guess I'll leave you to eat. I'll be back with your main course."

"Nice chatting with you." Yugi said, returning to his delicious-looking soup.

"Well, what were we talking about before?" Tea asked, adding some ranch dressing to her salad.

"What we were going to do after we left." Yugi remembered. "I think we were discussing the arcade."

"Oh yeah. That creep Johnny Steps stalked us all day after I beat him in MegaDDR." Tea said. "That was when you had me take Atem around town."

"I remember." Yugi said, swallowing. "He wasn't happy with me, but it was for the best."

"Yes, it was." Tea agreed.

"Maybe this summer adventure will be for the best as well." Yugi tried, lowering his head near the bowl. Tea smiled, taking a bite of salad.

"Maybe."

-

—UCLA, 8:30PM PST, F-6/15—

"Thank you, Rebecca, for meeting me here in the Pauley Pavilion." Pegasus Crawford said, addressing the girl entering from the corner. Pegasus had been refreshed with a four-hour nap while waiting for the time changes to catch up after his eleven hour flight.

"You're welcome. Now, what's this about?" Rebecca replied.

"Well, have you brought your duel disk and deck, like I asked?" he asked.

"Right here." Rebecca replied, pointing at the duffel bag she had been carrying.

"Seto Kaiba and other associates are going to be experimenting with a small change in the Duel Monsters rule book over the next few weeks, and I wondered if you would want to assist me." he explained.

"What is this rule change?" Rebecca asked.

"Each player will begin with eight thousand life points as opposed to the common four thousand." Pegasus revealed. "It may not seem like much at first, but in practicality, it can sway the duel."

"Alright." Rebecca began. "So you want me to duel you in order to see how this setup works. I'm up for that."

"Excellent." Pegasus said, smiling. "First, take this card." He pulled out a familiar envelope, handing her one of the cards inside of it. "As this is only a test sample, Field Spell Cards can not be used, as their slots will be taken. Now, if you would pick a side of the court to stand on, we can begin." Rebecca, after accepting the card, started over to the far side of the basketball court.

"Not a problem." she said, commenting on field magic slots being used. When she arrived on the blue, she set her bag down and opened it, to reveal a duel disk and a box. Opening it, she revealed her deck. With a smile, she put on her duel disk and placed her deck inside. On the other side of the court, Pegasus had used his briefcase in the same manner.

"Are you ready?" he called.

"Yes!" Rebecca sent back.

"Inserting Field Magic" Pegasus said, placing his card into the field spell zone; Rebecca also doing so.

"Let's duel!" Rebecca 8000-Pegasus 8000

-

"You may start, Rebecca." Pegasus said, his voice carrying through the empty arena.

"Very well! My move." Rebecca called, drawing five cards and an extra to start her turn. "I'll summon my Luster Dragon in attack mode (1900/1600)! Then, I'll play a card face down, and end my turn."

"Here we go!" Pegasus said from the other side. "I'll start out by paying one thousand of my life points in order to activate one of my favorite magic cards, Toon World (LP 7000). Now I'll be able to summon monsters of the Toon variety, like this one, the Toon Gemini Elf. Unfortunately, it can't attack this turn, due to its effect, so I'll just have to play this card face down and end my turn."

"I draw!" Rebecca announced, doing so. "It's a shame that pathetic excuse for a cartoon won't be around for much longer. I activate the magic card, Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding my Marie the Fallen One from my hand, I can automatically destroy your Toon Gemini Elf!"

"No!" Pegasus said, taken back. "Not my toons!" He watched as his elves shattered into pieces.

"Next, I'll summon my Fire Princess in attack mode (1300/1500)!" Rebecca said, to Pegasus' distaste. "Now, my monsters, attack his life points directly!" A beam of light erupted from Luster Dragon's mouth, aimed at Pegasus, while the Fire Princess sent fire raging at the target. (Pegasus LP 3800) "I'll play yet another card face down and call it a turn."

"Your skills are quite impressive, Rebecca." Pegasus commented. "I can see why you handily won the United States Nationals."

"Why thank you, but we're not here to chat." Rebecca replied.

"Too right, my move." Pegasus said, regaining focus. _"I would have lost already without the life point boost. Must be careful."_ he thought. "I will first play the Cost Down magic card. By discarding a card from my hand, I can lower the levels of all of the monsters in my hand by two. That means I can special summon my Toon Dark Magician Girl without a sacrifice (2000/1700)!" The chibi form of Yugi's famous monster appeared with a puff of pink smoke. "I should also tell you that Toon Monsters have the unique ability of being able to bypass all non-Toon Monsters and attack directly."

"What?" Rebecca gasped.

"And, unlike my other toons, my Toon Dark Magician Girl can attack right off the bat, so...without further ado, attack Rebecca's life points directly!" Pegasus said, pointing at Rebecca.

"Not so fast, Pegasus, I activate Gravity Bind! This prevents all monsters level four and above from attacking!" Rebecca announced, flipping up her trap. Pegasus growled.

"Fine! I end my turn!" Pegasus said, unhappy with the situation.

"Not so fast!" Rebecca shot back, revealing her other face down card. "In your end phase, I use Solemn Wishes. This card will give me an additional five hundred points during each of my standby phases."

"Alright." Pegasus said, just before realizing the strategy at hand.

"Now, I draw, and the effect of my Solemn Wishes, activates giving me five hundred. This will activate my Fire Princess' ability, which means-"

"I lose five hundred." Pegasus finished for her. Rebecca-8500 vs. Pegasus-3300

"But wait! I have another surprise for you. Last turn, I sent my Marie the Fallen One to the graveyard, meaning I regain two hundred more every standby phase. That means you lose another five hundred!"

"Oh no!" Pegasus said, shocked. Rebecca-8700 vs. Pegasus-2800 "However, you can't attack me because you activated Gravity Bind!"

"That's true. I'll end my turn!" Rebecca admitted.

-

—Meanwhile, in the café—

"Here is your bill." Sebastian said, setting the paper on the table. "How was everything today?"

"It was very good." Yugi said, picking up his drink.

"The chicken here is amazing!" Tea noted.

"Why thank you." Sebastian replied, walking away from the table. Yugi moved for the check.

"No, I'll get it..." Tea said, moving her hand.

"Really, it's okay." Yugi assured her, taking out his wallet.

"Are you sure?" Tea asked, uncertain.

"It's fine. Don't worry." Yugi said, looking up. He set the money on the table, including a tip.

"Thanks, guys." Sebastian said, reappearing.

"Where do you come from?" Tea asked, startled.

"Magic." he answered, grinning.

"Ugh, please don't use that word. That's the last thing we want." Tea remarked.

"I kid, I kid. "Have a nice day." he replied, leaving them for the last time. Yugi and Tea immediately stood up to leave.

-

"He was all-around creepy." Tea said, walking down the street.

"Yeah, I guess." Yugi said. "We'll be seeing a lot of him next month, probably." Tea gave a disgusted expression.

"Oh well, let's just get going. To the arcade?" Tea asked.

"That sounds great." Yugi said, looking up.

"Okay!"

-

—UCLA—

"Now, I get to draw." Pegasus said. "I activate the magic card, Comic Hand. I think I'll equip it to your Fire Princess!"

"What does it do?" Rebecca asked, watching a disembodied hand grab around the arm of her monster.

"This card allows me to take control of your monster and treat it as a Toon Monster." Pegasus said, watching the Princess get absorbed into the book and spit back out in chibi form. "Now, you won't be able to lower my life points. That ends my turn."

"My turn, and I'll start off by collecting my total seven hundred life points (LP-9400)" Rebecca said, drawing. "Then, I'll summon my Injection Fairy Lily in attack mode (400/1500)! As a level three monster, she is able to attack you!"

"I know." Pegasus said in a disgruntled tone.

"So, I'll attack your Toon Dark Magician Girl!" Rebecca ordered. "By paying 2000 life points, I increase my monster by 3000 attack points (LP-7400, Lily-3400/1500)." Lily inserted the needle into the arm of Toon Dark Magician Girl with precision, destroying her upon injection. (Pegasus- 1400) "I end my turn."

"This isn't over." Pegasus assured her. "Nowhere near over. I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Then, I activate the card Black Illusion Ritual! Now, I sacrifice the Fire Princess in order to Ritual Summon Relinquished (0/0). Next, I use its ability to equip your Luster Dragon to my monster!" Rebecca watched as her dragon was lured into Relinquished's absorber. It appeared again on Relinquished's wing. "This gives my monster 1900 attack points, and I'll use them to attack your Injection Fairy Lily!"

"You're insane!" Rebecca called out. "If you attack, you'll lose the duel!"

"Am I now?" Pegasus said. "Relinquished, when defeated in battle, only needs to get rid of its equipped monster to survive. However, the monster is destroyed, and you would take the battle damage!"

Rebecca thought quickly, weighing her options. "I choose to activate her effect, giving her 3000 more points!" As Rebecca's life points decreased by 2000, her monster quickly made a retaliation against Pegasus' blue monstrosity. As promised, Luster Dragon shattered, dealing Rebecca 1500 more points of damage. (Rebecca-3900)

"An interesting choice." Pegasus noted. "I'll play this card face down and end." His hand lay empty as Rebecca drew to start again.

"I first collect my 700 life points." Rebecca said, going up to 4600. "Now, since your Relinquished has zero attack points, I can attack and destroy it! Go Fairy Lily!"

"Activate trap card, Mirror Force!" Pegasus said, gesturing with his hand. "Your nurse had to go check up on another patient, I'm afraid. The Reaper of the Cards is very needy..."

"Oh, can it." Rebecca said, rolling her eyes. "I activate the magic card, Scapegoat! This allows me to summon four Sheep Tokens! Then, I'll play one card face down!"

"And now," Pegasus began, drawing his card. "I start with this! Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Crap!" Rebecca's voice rang out.

"I choose to destroy Gravity Bind, freeing up my monsters' attacking power!" Pegasus decided. "Now, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Toon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)! Now, bypass her monsters and attack directly!"

"Oh no!" Rebecca called out just before being struck on the head by the Toon's staff. (Rebecca-2600) "These toons are not child appropriate!"

"Do I look like a child?" Pegasus shot back. "Now, my Relinquished will absorb one of your scapegoat monsters (0/0), and that will end my turn!"

"Now for the revenge!" Rebecca said, fiercely drawing her card. "First, my seven hundred life points (3300). I activate the magic card Token Thanksgiving! Now, all of the tokens on the field are destroyed, and I recover eight hundred points per! And, that includes the Sheep Token that your Relinquished absorbed!'

"What?" Pegasus said, watching the furball on his monster disappear. (Rebecca-6500LP)

"And now I summon my Ruby Dragon in attack mode (1600/1300)! Ruby Dragon-"

"Stop right there!" Pegasus said, revealing his trap card. "I activate Toon Briefcase! When a monster is summoned to the field on my opponent's side of the field, I can send it right back to the deck!"

"You live to see another turn, Pegasus." Rebecca remarked, shuffling her deck.

"Now, to continue on that path, I draw, and summon my Toon Summoned Skull in attack mode by sacrificing my Relinquished!" The Relinquished opened up its absorbing device, slowly absorbing itself. In its place appeared a feminine skeletal being (2500/1200). "He may not be permitted to attach this turn, but my other monster can! Toon Dark Magician Girl, attack her life points!"

Rebecca braced he head for the impact of the creature's staff. As the minor pain entered her body, she let out a small "ouch". (Rebecca-4500)

"Your turn!" Pegasus called out.

-

—Domino City Streets—

"So then, Grandpa goes 'Hey Yugi...'-" Yugi began

"Hey Yugi, look." Tea said, pointing down the road.

"Yeah. How did you know?" he asked.

"No! Not that. It's Tristan!"

"Hey, Tristan!" Yugi yelled. No response. Tristan continued on his head-hung march down the road. Tea and Yugi jogged to his position.

"Hey, what's with the silent treatment?" Tea asked, tapping on his shoulder. He lifted his head to reveal a black right eye. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." he moaned.

"At least tell us who did it." Tea requested.

"Duke Devlin. Happy?" he asked, continuing his walk. Yugi walked in front of him.

"Why?" he asked, looking up at him.

"Because I apparently 'ruined his chances with Serenity'" Tristan mocked.

"He had chances?" Yugi said, looking at Tea, who returned with a shake of the head.

"Well, Duke invited Serenity to the movies last night. Being of such a kind heart, she invited me too, and Joey on top of that. Duke wasn't happy about that." Tristan explained.

"Okay, and then?" Tea asked.

"Duke thought he was making a move with Serenity by grabbing her hand in the popcorn bowl."

"Typical. What did Joey do?" Yugi asked.

"He...laughed." Tristan admitted.

"Laughed!?" Tea expounded. "Why?"

"Because it wasn't Serenity's hand in the bowl that he grabbed. He took my hand, we freaked out and knocked the popcorn in the air, starting an argument and getting me and him thrown out of the movie." Tristan elaborated. Yugi and Tea chuckled. "What?"

"Oh nothing. What happened then?"

"Well, we went outside, and resumed our fight. That's when he started 'declaring' Serenity as being his and turning physical. He gave me a black eye..." Tristan added.

"And, what did you do to him?"

"He's not having sex any time soon." Tristan said, smiling into the air.

"Ouch." Tea said.

"So, what are you two up two today? Date?" Tristan tried. Yugi blushed.

"Not exactly." Tea said. "Just a day on the town."

"Sure." he said, a disbelief in his voice. "We'll, I've taken a bunch of your time already. "Enjoy your...umm...day on the town."

"See ya'" Yugi said, continuing on their way.

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Well, that's what happened after Tristan and Duke were thrown out. And Tea is being a little more lenient on their 'day out'. And Pegasus and Rebecca are highly engaged in a duel half-way across the world to test out the 8000 point style. Resolution time.


	9. Chapter 9: Battle: Caramelldansen Remix

Chapter 9

—UCLA---

"Alright then!" Rebecca replied, drawing and gaining her seven hundred points (5200). "I summon Copycat, which allows me to duplicate one of your monsters on my side of the field. So, I will make a basic replica of your Toon Summoned Skull!" The Copycat morphed into a ball of plasma, reconfiguring in mirror of Pegasus' Toon (2500/1200). "Now, Copycat, attack his Toon Dark Magician Girl!"

"No! Not my toons!" Pegasus cried, watching his monster disappear in the same puff of smoke it had arrived. He fiercely pulled a card from his deck. "My move! And I will activate the magic card, Card of Sanctity! Each of us will now draw to a full hand of six." Both players drew six cards to supplement their vacated hands. "This duel is over, Rebecca! First, I activate the magic card, Shadow Toon. Because I have Toon World on the field, you get damage equal to the attack points of a monster on your side of the field, meaning 2500 from Copycat Toon Summoned Skull!" Her monster turned around, shooting a bolt of lightning into her duel disk. (Rebecca-2700LP) "Then, I activate my card, Doppelganger! By discarding five cards from my deck from play, I can take a card from your graveyard and add it to my hand, and I choose Tribute to the Doomed!"

"Oh no!" Rebecca yelled.

"Now, by discarding a card from my hand, I can activate it, destroying your Copycat!" Pegasus announced, watching the imitation of his monster disappear.

"That still only leaves you with 2500 points of attacking power." Rebecca noted.

"At the moment. For now I normal summon my Toon Alligator (800/1600)!" Pegasus said. "And, my monster is a normal monster, which means it's not restricted like average toons. So, first, I'll attack with my Toon Summoned Skull!"

Rebecca let out a shriek as the lightning coursed through her body.

"And now, I attack with Toon Alligator for the duel!" Pegasus commanded.

"Activate face down card, Call of the Haunted, reviving my Luster Dragon (1900/1600)!" Rebecca interrupted.

"Stop the attack!" Pegasus called out. His alligator slowly retreated from his prowl. "I play one card face down and end my turn."

"I draw and collect my 700 life points." Rebecca began (900). "I play two cards face down, and attack the Toon Alligator with my Luster Dragon!" The Toon Alligator went less quietly than his toon predecessor (Pegasus-300LP). "That ends my turn."

"Very well." Pegasus said, drawing. "Toon Summoned Skull, attack the Luster Dragon now!" The lightning from the attack shone through the sapphire scales on the dragon's body. (Rebecca-300LP) As it shattered, Rebecca spoke again.

"I activate Rope of Life! By discarding my hand, I can bring back my Luster Dragon with an additional 800 attack points (2700/1600)." Rebecca announced. "But that's not all. I also activate my Adamantine Sword Revival card, allowing me to sacrifice my new and improved Luster Dragon in order to summon my Diamond Head Dragon!" A towering diamond-scaled dragon appeared on the field, sporting a large horn. "My monster's attack points are equal to my Luster Dragon's 2700 plus 1000 more, for a total of 3700!"

"I'll end my turn." Pegasus said, a glooming look on his face.

-

—Domino Arcade---

"Well, Joey won't be happy." Tea said, opening the door to the arcade. "Here we are!" Yugi stepped in side, looking out on the lights of the room.

"Wow, this place has evolved since we last came." Yugi noted.

"Actually, we were here when it was desolate, so anything would have been a major improvement." Tea said.

"Huh? When?" he asked.

"It was when we were in Noah's virtual world. The Arcade was the escape route, specifically the MegaDDR stage." Tea remembered.

"I remember. Don't want to, but do." Yugi said. "Speaking of MegaDDR, look over there!" Tea turned to face the stage. He mind began thinking of the obscenities that she could use.

"_I knew it, I knew it from the minute we decided to come here that I would have to deal with this."_ she hissed in her thoughts. She looked down to Yugi, finding that he had already begun the walk over.

"Wait, we don't have to-"

"It'll be fine, Tea." Yugi called back. Biting her lower lip, she obliged. Upon the stage, Johnny Stepps was dancing in battle with a brown, spiky haired man. As the final chords of their song rang out, the crowd around them began cheering.

"You did very well, my young protege." Johnny said, turning to his opponent. He then turned to his crowd to give a bow. As he rose, his eyes scanned the room. Seeing Tea, he shot straight up.

"Ladies and gents, if you all turn to the back and welcome Miss Tea Gardner." he said, gesturing his hand. "Tea is an extremely skilled dancer, accounting for my only loss in MegaDDR." As the crowd gasped and applauded, Tea couldn't help but to smile.

"Rematch! Rematch! Rematch!" the crowd chanted.

"Hey! Hey!" Johnny called out, trying to regain the room. "Don't badger her. She'll play if she wants to."

"And I do." Tea said, irritated tone of voice. "But I'd rather not play with you."

"I'll dance against you." the spiky haired kid announced. Johnny chuckled.

"Alright. Let's go!" Tea said, running up to the stage.

"Tea!" Yugi said, trailing her.

"What's your name?" she asked, waving Johnny away.

"I'm Alex." he replied, offering a hand.

"I'm Tea." she said, accepting it. "What song do you want to do?"

"I heard that they just added a new, harder version of Caramelldansen. Want to try it?" he asked.

"Ooh, sure! I heard about that. They said it was the hardest yet." Tea said.

"Let's do it!" Alex called out, making the appropriate foot movements to select the song.

"Be careful, Tea." Yugi called out.

"She's going to need it. I tried it this morning. It was horrible." Johnny said, walking over beside him.

"Did you fail it?" Yugi asked, looking up.

"Oh I passed. It wasn't pretty, though." Johnny replied, listening to the machine say _"Ready?"_ "But, Tea should have no problem beating my little protege."

"Your protege?" Yugi repeated.

"Alex. He's my best friend now, he is." Johnny explained. "He's a good dancer and all, but, not good enough to beat me, let alone Tea."

"_GO!"_ the MegaDDR screen flashed, picking up the first beats of the song. The footwork began immediately.

"Well, it's nice to know that you actually found some friends." Yugi said.

"And I see that you've found someone special." Johnny guessed.

"Tea? Oh, no, we're not together." Yugi said, turning pink. Johnny analyzed his face.

"Yet." Johnny finished.

-

—UCLA---

"I'll draw." Rebecca said. "And, lets not forget my 700 life points (1000LP)! Now, Diamond Head Dragon, attack his Toon Summoned Skull and end this duel!"

"I don't think so!" Pegasus called out. "I activate Shrink, cutting your Diamond Head Dragon's attack points in half (1850/2800)!"

"Argh!" Rebecca stammered, watching Toon Summoned Skull retaliate by destroying her Dragon. (Rebecca-350LP) "One more chance. I'll play this face down and end my turn."

"My move." Pegasus said, scribbling a grin on his face. "Toon Summoned Skull, strike her down!"

"I activate my second Gravity Bind!" Rebecca announced, flipping up her card. "Now your monster can't attack me."

"Well, I'll have to resort to other means." Pegasus merely commented, picking up a card from his hand. "I summon my Toon Cannon Soldier, in attack mode (1400/1300)."

"So what?" Rebecca asked. "It can't attack, either."

"Yes, but its special ability allows me to tribute a monster and deal you 500 points of damage!" Pegasus announced. "And I'll activate it with the help of my Toon Summoned Skull!"

"No!" Rebecca yelled. Toon Cannon Soldier fired its weapons at Rebecca, sending her life points to 0. The holograms disappeared, Rebecca on her knees.

"A fabulous duel. Well done." Pegasus called, starting to walk over to her.

"Not bad yourself." Rebecca said, standing up.

"Now, what did you think of our 8000 life point duel?" Pegasus asked.

"It was interesting. It definitely gave me a lot to work with, you know, during the duel." she answered, adjusting her glasses. "In addition, I felt that it allowed bigger moves to be played. I didn't feel as constricted with my life points most of the time, and I knew that I had to pull off big plays to take down double the usual."

"I see." Pegasus noted. "May I ask a question? Would you like to see more of these 8000 point duels? Professionally, I mean."

"Professionally?" Rebecca replied. "Well, it would be an interesting change, to say the least. I think that it might have some unexpected effects on the game. I mean, having more life points means spending more, but there are elements like deck-outs and such. More turns, more cards, more likely."

"Yes, but its always been part of the rules. You have to whittle you opponents life points to zero before you run out of cards. The rare Exodia deck might use a milling technique, and Mill Decks exist, although not common." Pegasus said.

"That's very true." Rebecca agreed. "It would be an interesting addition to the Duel Monsters rule book."

"It's great to hear you say that. I thought so too." Pegasus said, turning slightly to the door. "Now, my limousine awaits to take you back home. We can talk more on the way."

"Off we go." Rebecca said, picking up her duffel bag once again."

-

—Domino Arcade—

"This is going to be close..." Johnny Stepps said, his voice increasing in volume. Tea and Alex had been fiercely going at it. Each had their own slip ups, but the scores were even as the final chords approached.

"Come one, Tea!" Yugi called out.

"_Up-up, down, upperleft, down, center, no, shit!"_ Tea thought, starting to panic.

"You can do it, Tea!" Johnny called out, receiving a dirty over-the-shoulder look from Alex.

"Oy, who's side are you on?" he yelled back, listening to the tempo increase slightly.

"FINAL CHORUS" the top of the screen flashed.

"_This is it!"_ Yugi thought. The song's final chord rung out into the entire arcade. Almost all the attention in the room was on the stage. Even the employees had ceased their transactions in favor of watching the dancing.

"WINNER-PLAYER ONE!" the screen flashed, comparing the scores.

"Yes!" Yugi called out. The audience surrounding them roared in satisfaction. Tea reached for her head, stumbling down the stairs.

"How did I do?" she asked, resting her hand on the rail.

"Turn around and find out!" Johnny said, giving her the incentive. She turned her head slightly to look at the scoreboard. _'Player One-124,985,348 Player Two- 124,985,197'_

"Never again." Tea said, moving to her hands and knees. Yugi kneeled down.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Tea moved to a seated position on the ground. "Someone get some water!"

"I'll be okay, don't worry." Tea said, accepting a bottle from one of the Arcade Staff. "That was incredible. What was the difference?"

"Three hundred fifty-one." Alex said, catching his breath on the rail. "You're a right good dancer, I'd say. I can see why you lost, Johnny."

"Thanks." Johnny replied, plain-faced. Tea slowly rose back to her feet.

"I'll be fine." Tea said, regaining her thoughts. "Well, I for one have had enough of the arcade. Shall we continue our journey around town, Yugi?"

"Oh, sure." Yugi said, looking up, blushing slightly. "It was nice to meet you, Alex."

"Yeah, great match. Just don't let Johnny here rattle you, okay?" Tea said, a comedic sneer being sent Johnny's way.

"Every day." Alex replied, shaking Tea's hand. Tea jolted, putting on a disgusted face.

"Let's go." she said, turning. Abruptly putting her hands in her pockets, she walked toward the exit. Yugi trailed her.

"Wait up! Bye, Johnny, bye Alex!" Yugi said, running after her.

"How dare he..." Tea said, retrieving a small slip of paper from her pocket. Her face filled with rage. Shoving it back into her pocket, she turned, Yugi stopping between her and Johnny.

"Tea...?" Yugi whispered.

"Johnny Stepps, for the record, I'm not an idiot. Nor do you have any right to force your minion to do your bidding." Tea said, walking back to Yugi. "Let's go." she said, pushing him to take a step forward.

"Wait, what?" Yugi asked, too late for questions as Tea pushed him out the door. As the door shut behind her, she made an obscene gesture inside to cap-off her point.

—Phone, 3:30 PM—

"I'm really sorry for what happened." Serenity said, waiting for a response. Tristan had walked away fro, his webcam retrieve his pizza from the microwave.

"No, it's not your fault at all, Serenity." Tristan replied, sitting down once again.

"I have to make it up to you." Serenity said. "I mean, if it wasn't for him, this whole mess wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry he dragged you into this."

"Have you talked to him lately" Tristan asked, expectantly.

"Talked to him? I deleted his number!" Serenity laughed. "Never again. Not after that."

"_Oh. Well, isn't that something."_ Tristan thought.

"So, how is your eye doing?" Serenity asked.

"Well, nothing broken. Just a standard black eye." Tristan said.

"Well, at least it's not serious." Serenity said. "So, Tristan, I was wondering if you would like to do something, you know, to make up for the awful night." Tristan was taken back.

"Uuuh...sure!" he said, stuttering. "What did you have in mind?" Tristan immediately sat closer to the camera. Serenity pushed backwards an inch.

"Anything but a movie." Serenity said. Tristan chuckled.

"Alright, we'll go where we feel like going. When should I be at your place?"

"Hmm..." Serenity said, flipping through her schedule. "How about Friday at two o'clock?"

"That's fine with me."

"And fine with me, too." said a quiet, distant voice. "Tristan, you're not getting off that easily. Because you're not the only one paying Serenity a visit tomorrow." Duke tapped a key, closing down the feed of Tristan and Serenity's conversation. Sitting back, he looked up at the ceiling of his bedroom.

"Serenity's mine, and there's not a person in the world who can stop me from being with her!"

---Outside Kame Game Shop, 5:45 PM—

"Oh, here." Yugi said, pulling out a set of keys. Tea looked toward the sky, thinking. As she opened her mouth to speak, Yugi clicked the lock, freeing the door.

"Yugi, wait." Tea said. Yugi looked up at her.

"Yeah, Tea?" he asked, caught off-guard.

"I...I just thought we should do this again sometime." Tea said, looking back down to Yugi.

"Oh...yeah, sure." Yugi said. "Whenever you want." He opened the door wider, revealing Grandpa standing behind the counter.

"Welcome home, Yugi." he said, wiping off the counter. "How was your date?"

"Grandpa!" Yugi whined.

"We had a good time. Except for the arcade." Tea replied, smiling. Yugi looked mortified. "So, Yugi said that you were making dinner?"

"If you call ordering making, then yes." Grandpa admitted.

"Sounds good to me, Grandpa." Yugi said.

"Yeah, me too." Tea said, walking inside, setting her purse down on the side table.

"So, did you see anyone else on your adventure?" Grandpa asked, putting his rag away.

"Let's see, Tristan had a black eye...and..." Tea began.

"We also had another encounter with Johnny Stepps. You remember him, right Grandpa?" Yugi mentioned.

"Why yes. He and a friend came in here just the other day looking for some new card sets." Grandpa said, to Yugi's surprise. Tea took a whiff of the chicken-scent that had just entered the room. Her stomach growled furiously. Yugi turned, completely distracted by the noise.

"Excuse me." Tea said, embarrassed.

"Did you not eat?" Grandpa asked.

"Yes! Six hours ago." Yugi replied. "Well, _bon appetit_." Grandpa said, motioning to the staircase.

"Let's have at it!"

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: The duel between Rebecca and Pegasus is over, and it looks like the creator still has some fight left in him after all these years. In addition, a little birdie left something in Tea's pocket, and Tristan is preparing for a redo with Serenity, but will Duke get in the way?


	10. Chapter 10: The Charmer: Serenity

Chapter 10

—Serenity Wheeler's House, F-6/22/07, 1:55P—

_Knock knock knock..._

"Coming!" a voice rang from inside. Mrs. Wheeler opened the door.

"Hello Tristan, how are you today?" she said, welcoming him graciously. Mrs. Wheeler had made friends with Tristan ever since he watched Serenity in the hospital during Battle City.

"I'm doing fine, how are you?" he asked, greeting her with a smile.

"I'm doing wonderful, thank you for asking. Serenity, Tristan's here!" she called, aiming toward the staircase. Serenity's footsteps could be heard across the ceiling.

"So, how's your eye?" she asked.

"It's doing better."

"Coming, mom!" she said, rushing down the staircase, wearing her usual attire.

"Here she is." Mrs. Wheeler sang, watching her daughter drop to the foot of the staircase, carrying a small pink bag. "Now you two have fun on your excursion. And be back by eight!"

"Will do, Mrs. W." Tristan said, chuckling at the rhyme he had created. Mrs. Wheeler shut the door behind them, waving at them from the window.

-

"So, what do you want to do today?" Serenity asked.

"What ever you feel like doing." Tristan replied.

"Except for a movie." the both chimed in simultaneously. Laughing, they brought themselves back together.

"I have an idea!" Serenity said. "Let's get on a train and go to Domino City! Just like we did after my eye surgery!"

"That's a good idea." Tristan said, rubbing his chin. "Yeah! Let's do it." He clicked a button on his keys to unlock the doors. "Hop in!" Both of them sat in their respective seats and put on their seatbelts. Tristan started the car, put it in drive, and sped toward the main road.

As they passed, another car along the road started. Putting up the crack in his window, Duke smiled.

"Here we go." he said, waiting for them to turn the corner before moving. His pupils were completely dilated. He had only gotten eight hours of sleep over the last six days. Only the ridiculous amounts of coffee he had taken in were keeping him awake at this point.

"I'm coming for you, Tristan!" he called out, breaking the silence of his car. He shifted the gear into drive and slammed his foot on the pedal, speeding toward the busy intersection. In opposition to Tristan and Serenity turning right to the station, he turned left toward the freeway.

"I'm going to win."

—Kame Game Shop, M-6/18/07, Noon—

"You actually let him go up and see Serenity?" Yugi asked.

"Why not?" Joey said. "Tristan didn't do anything wrong. Except for the wrong turn on our way home." Yugi grinned. "So, how was your day with Tea?"

"It wasn't a date!" Yugi snapped. Joey looked puzzled.

"I never said it was!" he replied. "I asked how your day was..."

"I'm sorry, Joey. It was good. She had a good time." Yugi said.

"Is that so? Well, good for you." Joey replied, replacing the empty card displays with new cards. Yugi opened up a cardboard box.

"It's another Summer Series set." Yugi noted, taking the card packs out stack by stack.

"That's like the fiftieth one!" Joey whined.

"Don't complain. The shop's had more customers than ever before." Yugi said.

"And that's great. But more customers means more back-breaking work for me over the summer." Joey said, collecting some of Yugi's stacks. Yugi had paused to laugh.

"Partially your fault." Yugi said.

"How so, Yug?" Joey asked.

"As the Rank Five of the world, you attract more attention than you think." Yugi said, smiling.

"I think you mean 'Fifth Ranked'." Joey said, shaking off the odd language. "And my ranking is nothing to your number-one status. You attract all the attention."

"Yes, but I didn't get here alone. You know that." Yugi reminded.

"I know. That also works the other way around, even more." Joey said, cut off by the high-pitched whistling of Grandpa Mutou.

"How are those cards coming along?" he asked, grinning.

"We're almost done, Grandpa." Yugi said, finishing off his box. "There's only one more left." Yugi pointed to a small box sitting alone against the shelf.

"The Summer Series has been known to be a bit of a let-down." Grandpa noted. "Industrial Illusions believes that radical new editions to the game during tournament season are not good moves."

"If that's so, then why do you order so many?" Joey asked, picking up the aforementioned box. It was exceedingly light to Joey, who gave it an interesting stare.

"I've got business, we need cards. Just because it's the Summer Series doesn't mean it's useless." Grandpa explained, looking at Joey's expression. "What's wrong..." he sighed.

"This box. It's really light." Joey said, setting it down on the table and picking up the knife. Slowly, he slit the tape that had been fastening the box.

"So, what's inside?" Yugi asked.

"A glove, a video tape, two stars, and five cards." Joey lied. Yugi looked mortified. "It's a letter." Yugi reached into the box, retrieving the envelope.

"Addressed from Pegasus, to me, postmarked on May 31st." Yugi read.

"Open it, Yugi." Grandpa asked of his grandson. Yugi slid his finger under the flap, ripping the adhesive from between the paper. Inside contained a formal letter, along with a card.

-

_The battle you shall face will be tough_

_But, in the end, it won't be enough._

_For the greatest swordsman can not hope to wield_

_The power to shatter the most sacred shield._

-

"Cree-py" Joey emphasized, reading over Yugi's shoulder.

"Wonderful poetry." Grandpa said. "But why would Pegasus write this? It seems out of character for him to sneak a letter into our shipments."

"Yeah, he can send a personal letter, or just show up. Why so sneaky?" Yugi said.

"What's the card?" Joey said, pointing to Yugi's other hand.

"Oh!" Yugi said, looking at it, disappointed. The card was blank, aside from being signified as a Quick-Play Spell Card by the color and symbol.

"Seems Pegasus-ish to give you a blank card." Joey said, taking it from Yugi to examine.

"Maybe Pegasus didn't want the possibility of interference." Yugi suggested.

"Or, it wasn't Pegasus at all." Grandpa said, deep within his memory banks.

"What is it, Gramps?" Joey asked. Grandpa snapped back into reality.

"Oh, never mind. Until we know what it is, as per usual, guard it with your life." Grandpa said. "Now, your reward for helping me restock the shelves...let's see here." Grandpa moved to the cases, searching. "Ah, here we are." Stopping, he opened up a glass case with some green card packs.

"These are 2006 Winter Set packs." Grandpa explained. "Industrial Illusions rated them as the best release yet. Enjoy." He handed the two packs over to Yugi and Joey. Joey immediately took his; Yugi hesitated. His mind was still absorbed by the poem.

—To Domino Station—

"Enjoying the view, Serenity?" Tristan asked, picking up his drink. By pure coincidence, they were riding in the same train that they had on their first trip.

"It's beautiful." she replied, looking out onto the landscape. "To think that I can fill in the gap in my memories make me even more thankful for my eye operation."

"I remember this trip like it was yesterday." Tristan said.

"This is also where you explained to me how to play Duel Monsters." Serenity said. "If we hadn't taken this trip in the first place, we might not have even gotten the chance to come again." Tristan searched deep within his memory to Noah Kaiba's Virtual World.

"The small amount of info I gave you hear saved our lives, or minds, I guess." Tristan reminisced.

"Ever since then, I've begun collecting my own deck of cards." Serenity said, pulling a box from her bag. Opening the box, she revealed her deck, setting it on the table face-down. "I had Joey help put together a deck, and he elaborated on what I already knew on how to play the game."

Tristan picked it up, sifting through it. He noticed something immediately. "Most of your cards are female monsters." he remarked.

"That's right!" Serenity said with a smile."Kind of like Mai, huh?"

"You really do look up to her, don't you?" Tristan said.

"Yes, I do. She's like a sister to me." Serenity said.

"Is that so?" a smooth voice rang from behind. Tristan looked up from his view of Serenity. "Oh wait, I knew that already." Serenity also turned her head; nothing compared to her succeeding reaction of jumping up to hug the newcomer.

"What in the world are you doing here, Mai?" Tristan asked.

"It's so good to see you, Mai." Serenity said.

"It's nice to see you, too." Mai said, looking down at Serenity. As Serenity ended the embrace, she backed up to see Mai's face.

"Would you like to sit down?" Tristan asked, offering to scoot over to accommodate her.

"Sure, why not?" she said, sitting in the seat provided. She set her bag down next to her in the aisle.

"So, what are you doing on a train to Domino, Mai?" Tristan tried again.

"Pegasus sent for me, actually. He asked if I would like to help him with a test duel, and I accepted. I'm on my way to the Kaiba Corp. Building." Mai explained. "Although, I'm not sure how Pegasus intends to duel when he's not in the country."

"Maybe Kaiba has some kind of machine that lets you duel over long distances." Serenity said.

"Who knows what crazy things Kaiba can cook up." Tristan noted.

"So, you said Joey was helping you build a deck, Serenity?" Mai asked.

"Yes." Serenity said, Tristan giving back her deck. "Would you like to see?" Serenity reached her arm across the table, presenting her deck to Mai.

"How about we have a small little duel, instead?" Mai suggested, motioning for Serenity to draw back her hand. "It will keep me guessing as to what kind of a deck you and Joey put together. Just for fun, you know! Nothing serious."

"Oh! Well, alright." Serenity said, slightly timid.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, Serenity." Mai said, pulling her deck from her bag. "We'll duel tabletop, since we don't have the space or the equipment to do otherwise." She also pulled out a notebook and a purple pen, tossing it into the air at Tristan. "Tristan can keep score for us."

"Alright, sounds good." Serenity agreed, putting some confidence into her voice. She placed her deck in front of Mai for shuffling; Mai responded with the same. Tristan made a T-chart on the paper, putting Serenity on the left and Mai on the right, each with '4000' under her name.

"Alright, Serenity. You can go first." Mai said, trading their decks back.

"Okay." Serenity said, each of them drawing their opening hand.

"Let's duel!" Mai-4000 v Serenity-4000

"I draw to begin my turn." Serenity said, reciting from her earliest lessons. "I'll set this monster, and put a card face down in the backfield. That ends my turn."

"Very good." Mai said, drawing. "I'll summon my Harpie Lady #2 in attack mode (1300). It's effect negates the flip effect of a monster it destroys. Now my Harpie Lady will attack your set monster."

"I reveal my monster, Wynn, the Wind Charmer. She has 1500 defense points, meaning she's not destroyed." Serenity announced.

"Uh oh." Mai said, Tristan marking her life points down to 3800.

"And, that's not all. She has an effect which allows me to take control of one Wind-attribute monster my opponent controls as long as she's on the field. That means that I get control of Harpie Lady." Serenity explained.

"You're doing better than I thought." Mai said, moving her monster to Serenity's side of the board. "I'll play this card face down and end my turn."

"My turn again." Serenity said. "Now, I'm going to sacrifice my Wind Charmer, and your Harpie Lady in order to special summon Familiar Possessed- Wynn (1850). In addition, she gains her effect, allowing her to deal damage when its attack exceeds the opponent's monster's defense points. I cam also normal summon my Familiar Possessed-Aussa (1850). She doesn't get the effect, but she has equal attack points as Wynn. Now, both of them can attack you life points directly."

"I'll activate my face down card, Mirror Wall. This cuts the attack points of your monsters in half." Mai said, flipping over her card. Tristan gave a loud sigh before scratching out his previous marks.

"Don't waste all of my ink." Mai said.

"I'm not. Okay, that leaves you with 1950 life points." Tristan said, writing it down.

"Alright, Serenity. Time for my turn." Mai said. "My Mirror Wall goes to the graveyard, since I can no longer nor want to pay the cost for it. Now, I'm going to activate the field spell, Harpies' Hunting Ground. Now every time I summon a Harpie Lady card, it will destroy one spell or trap card on the field. Now, I'll summon Harpie Lady #1. This Harpie's effect is that all Wind monsters gain 300 attack points." (1600)

"Does that effect apply to my monster as well?" Serenity asked.

"Yes, so Wynn has 2150 points." Mai explained. "Now my field spell will take out your backfield." Serenity placed her 'Negate Attack' trap card in the graveyard. "In addition, the field also gives all Winged-Beast-type monsters a 200 attack and defense point boost." (HL1-1800/1700)

"It's still not strong enough to beat either of Serenity's monsters." Tristan pointed out.

"Not after I activate Cyber Shield, increasing Harpie Lady's points by 500, giving it 2300 in total. Now, my Harpie Lady can attack and destroy Wynn." (Serenity-3850LP) "I'll end my turn with a card face down." Mai placed her card on the table, and set the remaining card in her hand aside.

"My turn." Serenity said, trying to pull her cards together. _"What can I do?"_ she thought, staring into her hand. _"If I use this, then I can...alright!."_

"I'll start by setting a monster." Serenity said, picking up where she left off. " Then, I activate Scroll of Bewitchment, and I'm equipping it to your Harpie Lady, Mai. This card will change the attribute of your monster to Fire. (HL1-2000 ATK) Next, I can activate Book of Taiyou, which allows me to flip up the monster I just set, which was Hiita, the Fire Charmer. Its effect allows me to take control of a Fire-attribute monster, which means..."

"I chain this card to your monster's effect. Harpie's Feather Storm! This card negates the effect of your monster and destroys it." Mai said.

"Oh no." Serenity sighed. "I'll switch Aussa into defense mode and end my turn (1500 DEF)."

"It's alright, Serenity, you did a great job in this duel." Mai reassured her. "But you still have a lot to learn, and I know you will. I draw, and activate Elegant Egotist, which allows me to summon my Harpie Lady Sisters to the field from my deck (2450). This also means that the effect of Harpies' Hunting Ground is activated, which will destroy Scroll of Bewitchment. That in turn restores Harpie Lady to 2300. Finally, I activate the magic card Monster Reborn to bring back my Harpie Lady #2 (1800). However, in accordance with Harpies' Hunting Ground, I have to destroy Cyber Shield (HL1-1800). And, I suppose..."

"That's game." Serenity finished, beaming. "Thanks, Mai, that was so much fun."

"Any time, Serenity. Just keep practicing and" Mai said, interrupted by a jolt of the train.

"_We have arrived at Domino Station. Doors are opening."_

"you'll do well." Mai finished. "Well, enjoy the rest of your day!"

"Good luck in your duel." Serenity said, standing up to exit.

"Thanks." Mai replied, taking back her pen and paper from Tristan and stowing it away in her bag. As they exited the train, a figure emerged from the staircase.

"I've got you now." Duke said, stumbling down the last step, accidently brushing someone in the process.

"Watch out." the man complained, not bothering to stop.

"Sorry." Duke called out in an annoyed voice. He then spotted his prey. At the very sight of Serenity, he sprinted. His sprinting fell into a ninja-ing as he drew close. Tristan was looking at a map of the city, picking out possible places to visit. In a swift motion, Duke snatched Serenity from behind, covering her mouth and dragging her abruptly into the nearby train car.

"This is the café that Tea and Yugi went...to..." Tristan said, turning to his right to find an old woman carrying a grocery bag. "AAH! Serenity!" he said, spinning around.

"_The train will be departing in one minute."_

"TRISTAN!" she shouted in an earsplitting scream, before being muffled once more by Duke's hand.

"I don't believe it!" he yelled, immediately taking off after her.

"Stay quiet!" Duke yelled as he entered the train car with Serenity in hand. It was the dining car, and only one other person was in the room. A brown-haired man at the counter, who hadn't noticed their arrival.

"Come on." Duke said, dragging her down the isle after spotting Tristan giving chase. As Serenity passed the man, she reached out to grab him. Tristan raced for the train car, as fast as he possibly could to beat the clock.

"No!" Duke called out, pulling her away from the man. The doors on the cars closed, catching the sole of Tristan's shoe, sending him to the ground. He let out a yell of pain, still looking furiously for Duke. As Serenity lost her grip on the man's coat, he stood up, landing a punch straight to Duke's face. Thrown back by the blow, he tossed Serenity behind him, just as the car lurched forward, slamming her forearm into the metal pole.

"Oh my God." Tristan said, looking up from the ground. Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, the man opened a call.

"Prepare for transportation of three individuals to the Medical Center, immediately."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: It has been a long time since I've been able to sit down and write. It's a good feeling, and I hope to be doing more of it, as soon as I deal with college work. Gotta love Spring Break. Well, Serenity is working hard to become a good duelist, and Mai is returning to the social world. Unfortunately, Duke has decided to over-the-top in his Tristan-thwarting plans. You can probably guess who the man in the train car is, but a better question is why is he there, and why did I put him there? Moving on, in the next chapter, according to my schedule, a duel begins late in the chapter which will jump the first of two bridges to the second meeting. Let's see what happens...


	11. Chapter 11: Tournament and the Ward

Chapter 11

—Kaiba Corp. HQ Medical Center, Friday 6/22/07, 4:01P—

"She's suffered a greenstick fracture in her left forearm, not too serious. She'll be in a cast for a while, and I will monitor her progress." the doctor explained to Seto and Tristan. "As for the other one, he suffered a broken nose, as well as two black eyes. However, he has not yet fully awoken from his unconsciousness."

"Thanks, Doc." Tristan said, smiling at the latter diagnosis. "How long will Serenity be in a cast?"

"She has minor swelling, so I'll prescribe a quick medication to reduce, and the cast will be on for three to four weeks, and I'll want her resting it in a sling for the opening week at least, depending on her." the doctor said. "Mr. Kaiba, has her mother arrived yet? It's really better if I go over details with her."

"I sent out for her an hour ago, she should arrive any time now." Seto replied.

"Her brother is also en route." Tristan said. Seto's coat radio filled the room with sound.

"_Mr. Kaiba, Joseph Wheeler and friends have arrived demanding to see Serenity Wheeler."_

"Send them back." Seto ordered. "Brace yourself, Doctor." The word 'there!' could be heard from down the hallway.

"Five, four, three, two, one." Seto said, ending as the door burst open.

"Where is she!?!" Joey called out.

"Calm down, Mr. Wheeler." the doctor said. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to her room."

"Relax, Joey. Tristan already assured us that she's fine." Tea said, walking in behind him, soon followed by Yugi and Grandpa Mutou. "Hi Tristan. Hello Kaiba."

"Oh, hello." Seto said, looking up from the ground.

"_Mr. Kaiba, the mother is here."_

"Send her here as well. Tell her that her son has arrived." Seto said, getting up to follow the doctor.

"She's suffered a minor fracture on her left forearm, which should heal in a few weeks." the doctor informed the newcomers as he led them down the hallway.

"Mrs. Wheeler!" Tristan called, watching the elevator on the other end of the hallway open.

"Oh, Tristan is she alright?" she said, jogging over to the oncoming party. She caught sight of her daughter through the window on the way, stopping to look. Peacefully, Serenity rested, watching the ceiling as a nurse took blood pressure.

"Hang on ma'am, I'll let you in." the doctor said, pulling out a key.

"She's doing fine, Mrs. Wheeler." Tristan said.

"How did this even happen?" she asked, clearly still in a half-panicked state.

"It's a long story." he replied.

"Alright, family first, if you would." the doctor asked. Mrs. Wheeler and Joey entered, immediately going to her bedside.

"And people who own this facility." Seto said, walking in behind them. The doctor shut the door behind them.

"I hope you understand. Patients aught not to be bothered by more than two to three at a time, as a general safety rule." the doctor said.

"Absolutely." Tea answered, Tristan giving a disapproving stare.

-

"Hi mom, hi Joey." Serenity said with a yawn.

"Oh Serenity, are you alright?" Mrs. Wheeler asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. My arm can't say the same, however." Serenity joked.

"Serenity, I swear, I'm gonna make sure that Duke never again sees the light of day." Joey said, taking her hand.

"No need for more violence, Joseph." Mrs. Wheeler said quickly. "We'll just sue his ass for everything he's worth." Mrs. Wheeler, who usually abstained from public anger, was more than happy to let her standards loose on this occasion.

"Maybe if I hadn't hit him as hard, we wouldn't be in this situation." Seto said, looking up from across the room. "If you should need assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. As I've stated before, I don't like owing people favors." He noticed Serenity's stare from across the room, split between pain, annoyance and attention. "However, on this occasion, I think that I can put my ego aside."

"Thanks, Mr. Kaiba." Serenity said, turning to smile at her mother.

"If you had done anything differently, Seto Kaiba, things could have been worse." Mrs. Wheeler reminded. "For that, I thank you for doing something where it was right."

"I still don't like you, rich-boy. But, none the less, thanks for saving Serenity." Joey said.

"Hmph. You're welcome, Wheeler." Seto replied. "If you'll all excuse me. Tristan next?"

"Yeah!" Serenity answered, laying back down.

-

"Hey Serenity." Tristan said, walking over next to Joey.

"Hi Tristan." Serenity replied, looking up at him. "Thanks for coming after me." Tristan sighed. There were no words suitable for him to say. His mind begged to throw a tantrum at his inability to be quick enough. His self control then kicked in to remember that Serenity won't want to see him outraged. After a period of silence, he said the only thing he could.

"I'm glad that you're safe." he sighed, head hung in defeat.

"Tristan, you don't have to mark yourself so low. You did everything you possibly could to save my daughter." Mrs. Wheeler said, walking over to his side of the bed and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Although I don't think it would be wise to take Serenity around town for a while." Tristan forced a chuckle.

"That and trains." Serenity laughed. "Not a big fan anymore."

-

—KaibaCorp. Dueling Laboratory—

-

"Cyber Harpie, end the duel now!" Mai commanded. (Mai-2700LP) "Attack the Robot's life points directly!"

"Activating Trap Card, Negate Attack." the computer voice responded.

"I counter with Trap Jammer!" Mai announced. "This duel is over!" (Duel Robot-0LP)

"Simulation terminated." the voice rang.

"Fabulous show, Miss Valentine!" Pegasus's voice called out. His face appeared on the large monitor on the far wall. "So, what did you think of this little experiment?"

"Ya' know, Pegasus, I think you did something right when you tried this rule. More life points to deplete really inspired me to duel more passionately then I normally." Mai admitted. "I think its an excellent change to be made. Not that I was impressed by the level of difficulty the duel was set to, but..."

"I can understand. I didn't want the test to be a critical failure, resulting in a barely-pro opponent setting.." Pegasus explained. "Great dueling skills shown, regardless. Thank you for your time."

"No problem, Pegasus." Mai assured him.

"I would tell you that Kaiba-boy would be down to welcome you, but according to what I have, he's tending to a medical patient." Pegasus said, glancing at another screen.

"He has a heart?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes, a miss...oh wait, that's Joey Wheeler's sister! How could I possibly forget her...?" Pegasus said, remembering Duelist Kingdom.

"Serenity?" Mai shot back.

-

—KCMedCtr—

"_Mr. Kaiba, Miss Valentine has completed her scheduled lab duel, and is now en route to your location."_ the coat said, just loud enough for Seto to hear. Yugi, Tea and Grandpa were in the midst of their turn in Serenity's room, along with Mrs. Wheeler, leaving Joey and Tristan outside. The doctor had left for Duke's room, to oversee treatment on his nose.

"You could have sent her to my office." Seto replied.

"_She insisted on seeing Serenity Wheeler, after hearing of her presence in the ward."_ the coat voice explained.

"Thank you."

"Hey Rich-boy, what did the talking collar say?" Joey asked.

"Your girlfriend is here, Wheeler." Seto said.

"Huh? I don't have a-" _Ding_

The doors to the elevator opened to reveal Mai Valentine, still recovering from her mad dash through the halls.

"Tristan, what did you do to the poor girl?" Mai asked, jogging down the hallway.

"I didn't. Duke Devlin is the man to yell at." Tristan said. "He pretty much tried to kidnap her."

"Oh!" Mai said, covering her mouth. "Is she alright...you know, other than her arm?"

"Yeah, she's doing fine, mentally." Joey answered. He took a good long look at Mai.

"_She hasn't changed a bit."_ he thought, look her over. _"Hmm...new shoes."_

"I'm up here, Joey." she said, a disappointed laughter building.

"What? No, I was just..." Joey tried before a finger landed at his lips.

"It'll sound bad no matter what you say." Mai warned him, smiling. Joey's face slid down the spectrum to the color of Serenity's hair.

"I would tell you to get a room, but the closest ones are in my hospital ward." Seto said, receiving a glare from Joey. The success of Joey's embarrassment made him chuckle. Just then, the door clicked open, Yugi, Grandpa and Tea emerging from the room.

"Serenity says that she's getting tired...Mai?" Yugi said, walking over to Joey. Mai quickly removed her finger from Joey's lips.

"Hey Yugi!" Mai said. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing good." Yugi replied. "What brings you here?"

"I met up with Tristan and Serenity on the train, and then I was coming here for a practice duel when I heard Serenity was in the hospital ward." Mai explained. "Naturally, I was in disbelief because I had seen her two hours ago, but..." She waved to Serenity through the open door, "...I wanted to see for myself."

-

Serenity waved back at her, yawning into a smile.

"Who is that, honey?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.

"That's Mai Valentine, one of my and Joey's friends." Serenity explained. "That's who I was telling you about after I got back from the Battle City Finals."

"Oh, I remember that."

-

"Well, it's great to see you, Mai." Yugi said.

"Mr. Kaiba, Miss Wheeler had been cleared to leave." the doctor said, walking over to their group.

"Don't tell me, tell her." he replied, pointing inside the door to Mrs. Wheeler.

"Mrs. Wheeler." he said, walking into the room. Mrs. Wheeler greeted him with a 'Shh!'. "Oh!" he mouthed. "Your daughter is cleared to leave. When she wakes up, of course."

"Thank you." she replied. Mrs. Wheeler then left her daughter's side for the hallway.

"I really don't want to keep you all here." she insisted.

"Are you sure? It's really no trouble." Tea assured her.

"No, no. I'll take Serenity home when she wakes up." she replied.

"Well, I'm staying." Joey said.

"I own the place." Seto added.

"Tristan, maybe you'd better go as well. You look a little unnerved." Mrs. Wheeler said.

"You're all welcome at our house." Grandpa Mutou chimed in.

"Oh, alright..." Tristan said, refocusing. "Yugi's house it is."

"Might I join you?" Mai asked. "A girl doesn't want to spend a victory night alone in a hotel room."

"Of course." Yugi said.

"Alright, you guys go, we'll stay here and wait for Serenity." Mrs. Wheeler said.

"Alright, bye guys. Be safe." Tea said. Tristan went to give Mrs. Wheeler a hug.

"You did nothing wrong." she reminded him, whispering in his ear.

"Well, Joey, see ya' around." Mai said, putting her arms around him. By the time Joey lifted his arm to finish the embrace, she was gone. She gave a wink and a two finger salute, and strolled down the hall.

"Joey, we'll see you later." Yugi said.

* * *

"Later, man." Tristan called to Joey, as the audience began cheering on the announcer's voice.

"Mr. Kaiba, you're needed in your office. Mr. Mokuba Kaiba is ready to go over KaibaLand evaluation." the collar rang. The stadium was near deafening; the match an unprecedented feat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the European Continental Championship!" the announcer called out, straining to silence the crowd.

"Tell Mokuba that I'll be right up." Seto replied.

The scoreboard had been placed on screen with the standard 4000 life point mark, but the numbers were pulsating, intriguing the crowd. "Turn your attention to the KaibaTron, for a special tournament announcement by Mr. Pegasus J. Crawford!"

"Mrs. Wheeler, I must now leave. I'll send Roland down to stay here and escort you out of the building." Seto said, receiving a nod in return.

"Attention spectators! You might have been wondering why, over the past few weeks, a series of emergency tournaments have been organized and played out in four of the six inhabited continents of the world." Pegasus began, the audience both in and out of the stadium now glued to the screen. His face was only taking up half of the screen, leaving the scoreboard portion a half to itself.

"Seto Kaiba, thanks again." Mrs. Wheeler said as Seto was in the doorway. He turned, made a silent bow, and was off to the elevator once more.

* * *

"Well, I can't exactly tell you that at the moment. However, this is the final Continental bout, and for it, I've made a small adjustment in the rules for this match. The participants of this bout were informed of this two hours ago, have agreed to it, and adjusted accordingly for it." Pegasus elaborated. "The change is rather simple. It has a subtle effect on game play, which when tested previously was given approval by Seto Kaiba for this match. This is where I leave you. The Championship bout will now commence."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our first finalist, the sixth best in the world, Mr. Zigfried von Schroeder of Germany!" the announcer called out, welcoming the lavender-haired suit into the stadium. "Mr. Schroeder was the second seed in the tournament, passing through his four duels to the final." Zigfried stepped up next to the red side of the duel arena.

"And now the second contestant. The Rank Three of the world, he's competed in prestigious tournaments all over the globe. Only losing once in his entire career, he's here to defend his European Crown against his older brother, ladies and gentlemen, the number one seed, Leon von Schroeder, also of Germany!"

The audience roared for his arrival, watching him take his place next to the blue side of the duel arena.

"Both contestants will step to the center of the field for the deck shuffling." the announcer ordered.

"Well little brother, let's make Herr Pegasus's experiment worth while." Zigfried said.

"Alright, let's have at it." Leon replied.

"Now for the surprise rule change. I hope you don't have plans after the duel, because they might be delayed! Attention to the scoreboard, if you would." the announcer called, as the massive screens above showed an explosion image. The two 'fours' in four thousand exploded into fireworks, revealing two 'eights'.

"Both duelist will begin the duel with an inflated eight thousand life points." he announced, the reception in the crowd rather mixed, in general receiving applause. By this time, Zigfried and Leon were already back on their platforms, which were being raised. "Mai Valentine, rank seven, remarked less than a week ago that more life points gives more passion for dueling. We hope that the participants and you the spectators will feel the same. Now, start the duel!"

-

—EuroKaiba KaibaDome, F 6/29/07, 8:00P GMT (Domino City, Japan S 6/30/07, 5:00A)

_Zigfried-8000 v. 8000-Leon_

"By tournament rules, the lower ranked begins." Zigfried said, drawing his six cards. Leon also filled his hand with five. "I'll play this card face down, and activate the card Swan Maiden, which allows me to summon my Valkyrie Erste in attack mode (1600)." That ends my turn.

"My move!" Leon called, drawing. "I summon Forest Wolf in attack mode! (1800) Go Forest Wolf, and attack his Valkyrie." Zigfried's life points fell to 7800 as his monster was ingested by the hungry monster. "I'll also play a card face down, and end my turn."

"I draw and use Ride of the Valkyries!" Zigfried yelled, much to the surprise of Leon. "With that, I can summon Valkytie Erste and Valkyrie Zwei from my hand (1600, 1600). Now, Valkyrie Zwei, which will destroy your Forest Wolf! Next, my other Valkyrie Erste returns to my side of the field. (1600). I will then activate it's effect, by removing Forest Wolf from the graveyard, it gets the equivalent of its attack points until the end of the turn (1800). Now, my three monsters are free to attack your life points directly!"

"Reveal my Negate Attack trap card!" Leon said, flipping up his card. "This card ends the battle phase!"

"Then I'll end my turn, but first, two of my monsters must return to the deck, per the effect of Ride of the Valkyries." Zigfried reminded.

"My turn." Leon announced. "Ready for the ball, Ziggy? Well, I am! I summon Cinderella in attack mode (300). This also allows me to summon Pumpkin Carriage in defense mode (800). Finally, from my deck, I can bring out and activate Glass Slippers, which are equipped to my Cinderella."

Cinderella lifted up her dress to reveal her footgear. Smiling, she looked at Zigfried.

"Cinderella, attack his life points directly!" Leon commanded, his monster moving to fling her shoes at him. (Zigfried-7500) "Now, Cinderella's Slippers get equipped to Valkyrie Erste, lowering her attack points by one thousand (600A). One card face down, and I'll end my turn."

"Draw." Zigfried said, doing such. "I summon my Valkyrie Dritte in attack mode, and she gains an additional one hundred attack points for the Forest Wolf removed from the game (1100). Now, Valkyrie Dritte, attack Cinderella!"

"I activate a trap!"

"Not again!" Zigfried called.

"Mirror Force, destroys all of the monsters on your side of the field." Leon said. "And, since Valkyrie Erste was destroyed, the Glass Slippers get re-equipped to my Cinderella, giving her a boost to 1300 attack points."

"I end my turn." Zigfried said.

"I draw, and summon Iron Hans in attack mode (1200). His effect allows me to summon my Iron Knight from my deck (700)! Now, to begin the onslaught, Cinderella, attack Zigfried directly!"

The announcer took a breath, picking up his microphone. "If this battle phase goes according to plan, Zigfried's life points could be sliced in half!"

"Well, we mustn't let that happen, eh?" Zigfried said. "Reveal Trap Card, Loge's Flame, preventing all monsters with 2000 or less attack points from attacking."

"Ooh, a stop in Leon's plans could set Zigfried up for a comeback." the announcer finished.

"Excellent." Zigfried said, drawing his next card. "I play one card face down and end my turn."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Well, the stage is nearly set, and Zigfried appears to have a plot to pick the duel up in speed. And, after a winner in the bout is decided, the second bridge is to be crossed, where we go to a place where only the bravest of Yu-Gi-Oh fans ever want to revisit...Pegasus's Bedroom. Get your mind out of the gutter...you're blocking the driveway of my permanent residence. Also, I fixed a minor error in Chapter 6 involving the order of reactions...

And: Apologies on the chapter popping up more than once...my fault.


	12. Chapter 12: Shadi Full Moon

Chapter 12

Leon drew his next card, slightly intimidated by his brother's certainty. "I sacrifice my Iron Hans and my Iron Knight in order to summon my Hexe Trude (2600). My Hexe Trude has enough power to bypass the Loge's Flame card, so, Hexe Trude, attack his life points directly!"

"I activate Fricka's Mediation!" Zigfried said, flipping his card over. "By removing my Valkyrie Dritte from the graveyard, I can automatically end the battle phase."

"I guess I'll end my turn." Leon said.

"A wise choice, little brother. I predicted that you would try to bypass Loge's Flame." Zigfried said, drawing. "I activate Nibelung's Treaure, which allows me to search my deck and activate Nibelung's Ring. This card immediately goes to your side of the field, and equips itself to your Hexe Trude! This renders it useless, and allows me to draw five new cards for my hand." He thought over his strategy while drawing his hand to six cards.

"Anything else?" Leon asked.

"I now activate three of my favorite magic cards, Goddess Skuld's Oracle, Goddess Urd's Verdict, and Goddess Verdandi's Guidance. Now I'll activate the effect of Goddess Skuld's Oracle, by having a look at your top three cards." Zigfried said, the three holograms appearing to him.

_Forest Hunter (1200/800) -Mystical Space Typhoon (Quick-Play Spell)-Gingerbread House (Continuous Spell)_

"Place the center card on top, then the first and third." Zigfried ordered. "Now Goddess Verdandi will allow me to guess what type of card is on top of your deck. Having just looked, it's a spell card, and my correct answer forces you to set it on the field. Finally, Goddess Urd will remove it from the game if I can correctly identify it. So, Mystical Space Typhoon is no more!"

Leon drew the card, placed it on the field, and immediately placed it over his Forest Wolf on the side panel.

"I draw." Leon began, quickly being interrupted by Zigfried.

"Remember, because your monster is wearing my ring, you draw two cards, and must discard a monster if you draw one." he reminded.

"I drew Forest Hunter, meaning I send him to the graveyard." Leon said. "I summon Tom Thumb in attack mode (1300). Next, I activate Giant's Training, which sacrifices Tom Thumb in order to special summon Globerman from my deck (2600). Globerman, attack Zigfried's life points directly." The Globerman ran over to Zigfried, jumping over Loge's Flame, and punching straight through his stomach. (Zigfried-4900LP) "I end my turn."

"Time to continue." Zigfried said. "I activate the power of my Goddesses once more!"

_Little Red Riding Hood (800/1200)-Glife the Phantom Bird (1500/1200)-Iron Knight (700/700)_

"Second, First, Third. Monster, Glife the Phantom Bird." Zigfried said, finishing the requirements for all three of the Goddess' effects. "Now, I use Gryphon's Feather Duster, which will destroy all of the cards on my side of the field, and give me 500 life points per card." Loge's Flame, along with the Three Goddesses, were destroyed, resulting in a 2000 life point increase (Zigfried-6900LP). "Now, because I've destroyed my Loge's Flame card, I can summon Valkyrie Brunnhilde from my deck (1800/2000)! It gains 300 points becuase your Globerman is a Warrior Type (2100/2000). Now, I can activate Rainbow Bridge Bifrost, giving my monster a bonus 500 attack points for every monster that has been removed from the game. That means, she gets 1500 more points, for a total of 3600! Now it has the power to destroy Globerman!" Brunnhilde charged toward the Globerman, piercing it in the chest with her sword. "And with a face down card, I will end my turn." (Leon- 7000LP, Brunnhilde-1800/2000)

"I draw two cards." Leon said. "I discard Iron Knight for the Nibelung's Ring effect. Now, Cinderella can attack your life points directly!"

"I activate Wotan's Judgement!" Zigfried interrupted. "By switching a spell card with the top card of my deck, I can end the battle phase. I also have to shuffle my deck."

"I will set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Leon said, taking advantage of his second Main Phase.

"My draw." Zigfried said. "I activate Final Light. By giving up 1000 life points, I can summon my Valkyrie Erste from the graveyard (Zigfried 5900LP, Erste-1600ATK). As you know, Leon, you can also summon a monster from your graveyard."

"I choose Iron Knight, who will gain an extra thousand points for the Iron Hans in the graveyard (1700/700)." Leon explained.

"However, because you have chosen Iron Knight, my Brunnhilde gains the additional 300 points for it being a Warrior-type (2100/2000)." Zigfried reminded. "In addition, I activate Erste's effect: by removing your Globerman from the game, Erste gains the equivalent attack points, 2600. Now, Erste will attack your Hexe Trude, destroying them both."

Leon spoke up as the two monsters shattered in front of him. "This means that Nibelung's Ring is also destroyed."

"True." Zigfried replied. "Now, Brunnhilde will attack Cinderella!" Both Cinderella and her Glass Slippers were shattered by Brunnhilde's mighty sword, continuing to decrease Leon's life points to 6200. "Next, I'll activate Valkyrie's Embrace. It removes a monster on your side of the field by switching the battle position of my Valkyrie Brunnhilde to defense mode. I chose to remove Iron Knight from the game. That ends my turn." (Brunnhilde-1800/2000)

"I draw." Leon said. "I summon Iron Knight to the field in attack mode (1700)."

"Well, isn't this a surprise..." Zigfried noted. (Brunnhilde 2100/2000) "What's the plan?"

"The plan is activating Gingerbread House! Now, when your turn begins, it'll destroy your Valkyrie by raising its attack points over 2500! So...I'll end my turn!" Leon proclaimed. The audience reacted with a roar, building the tension and the mood.

"I draw." Zigfried said.

"I activate the effect of Gingerbread House, giving your Valkyrie a 600 point boost!" (2700/2000) Now, your monster is destroyed, because it has more than 2500 attack points.

"No!" Zigfried said in response to his empty field. "I still have fight left. I summon Valkyrie Dritte from my hand (1500/1000). Next, I activate Nobleman of Crossout, which removes your face down monster from the game!"

Leon picked up his face down Little Red Riding Hood and set it in the ever-growing pile of cards. (Dritte 1600A)

"Finally, I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." Zigfried said, drawing to make two cards in his hand. "Wonderful. Finally, I activate Erda's Guidance, which allows me, by discarding a spell card, to set a trap card from the graveyard on the field. With no cards left in my hand, that's the end of my turn."

"I draw." Leon said, like his brother working card to card. "Iron Knight, attack his Valkyrie Dritte!"

"I reveal the face down trap, Fricka's Mediation, which you already know ends the battle phase by removing a card from my graveyard. I choose Valkyrie Erste." Zigfried said.

"I end my turn." Leon said.

"Then I'll begin." Zigfried said. "First, your are forced to use your Gingerbread House magic card on my monster, raising it's attack strength to 2300. Now, I'll use those points to attack your Iron Knight. Attack!" With a battle cry, the Valkyrie charged, piercing Leon's Knight and brining Leon down to 5600 life points. "I'll also activate the magic of Mystical Space Typhoon, which will prevent Gingerbread House from destroying my Dritte on my next turn. That ends my turn."

"I draw." Leon said. "I summon Seven Kids (700)! These cute little lambs aren't so friendly, because they have the power to destroy your Valkyrie Erste and take away its attack points from your life points."

"Oh no!" Zigfried gasped, watching his monster disappear and his life points deplete to 3600.

'To make matters worse for you, Brother, I activate Water of Life, bringing back my Hexe Trude to the field in attack mode (2600). Now, Seven Kids and Hexe Trude will attack your life points directly!"

"With magic sheep?" Zigfried joked, as the green blast and kids came after him. (Zigfried-300LP)

Zigfried drew his card. "Well done, little brother. I play this card face down and end my turn."

"Is this a concession of defeat by Zigfried?" the announcer cried.

"I draw!" Leon said, inches from victory. "Hexe Trude, attack Zigfried's life points for the win!"

"One more chance!" Zigfried announced. "I activate Mischief of the Time Goddess! This will immediately transport us to the battle phase of my turn! My last card will have no effect on this duel."

"I draw again." Leon said, felling slightly like the last thirty seconds were a waste. "Hexe Trude, end the match!"

_Zigfried-0 vs. 5600-Leon –Final_

-

"Congratulations Mr. Leon Von Schroeder on your victory in the European Continental Championships!" Pegasus said via satellite in the KaibaDome. "Now, I will preview the upcoming surprises in store for our duelists. It is with great joy that I preview the World Championship Tournament 2007." At that point he was unable to speak over the applause and cheering that had filled the stadium. His image on the big screen was replaced by a temporary logo for the World Championship. As he heard the crowd level die down on his screen, he picked up his script once again.

"One hundred twenty-eight duelists will compete in bracketed single-elimination style, all vying for the world title currently held by Mr. Yugi Mutou. There is a lot that I can not tell you, however, here is everything I can tell you. Should be exciting. Number one, the Opening Ceremonies of the World Championship Tournament will be on, mark your calendars, Friday July 13th!" Pausing for a moment to settle the crowd, he continued.

"I can also tell you that the tournament will last a fortnight, ending in the championship match on Saturday the twenty-eighth of July. I can not, however, tell you where the tournament will be held." The applause was withdrawn, so Pegasus continued immediately. "Finally, I can tell you that the top eight duelists in the world will sit at the inner and outer corners of the bracket, starting in the upper left with the King of Games himself, Yugi Mutou!"

-

—Pegasus's Home, 11:55P PDT (Domino City, Japan- Sa 6/30/07 3:55P)---

-

"Tune in for a special broadcast in in the coming days detailing the tournament."

Words that were fading away in Pegasus's mind as he looked out on his balcony. The day in question was the next, but the first to come, he knew, was the night. The floating cloud revealed the full moon to him.

"Are you ready for me to take over your mind?" a voice asked. The spirit of Shadi appeared in his ghost-like form next to Pegasus.

"Do I have a choice?" Pegasus asked. "Are you ever going to tell me why you're here?"

"If only I knew. I was not present for whatever is to happen." Shadi admitted.

"Then why do you know exactly what to do when you invade my mind?" Pegasus asked, concerned. The clock on the dresser clicked to 11:58.

"You could have a past life that is unlocked when I interfere..." Shadi suggested. "You know the past, you just need the key to unlock that memory. Think of Kaiba during the Battle City Tournament."

"I wasn't there, I don't know." Pegasus said, sixty seconds of conversation to go. "Oh, before you go, two things. One, don't kill me. Two, I have to be at a meeting in Domino City, Japan at one o'clock, Japan time, with Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, Yugi Mutou and Zigfried Von Schroeder. It's exceedingly important.

"I'll get you there." Shadi assured him. "I'll try to stay out of your way. I'll mostly be in your dreams."

"Just in case, my flight leaves at eight o'clock, A.M., and it's a twelve hour flight. That gets you there at noon on...wait..." Pegasus said, drifting into thought. As he did, the clock struck midnight, and he was gone. Shadi had control as Pegasus' body fell onto his bed in a lopsided fashion.

_"I understand what he means."_ Shadi thought. _"The moment we cross the International Date Line, I'll lose control because it will no longer be the day of the full moon. Interesting."_ Taking control of Pegasus's body, he dug into Pegasus's pocket, retrieving his cell phone. Pegasus's eyes opened, revealing an empty stare.

"Croquet, tell the pilot to fire up the jet. I'm leaving for Domino City immediately." Shadi ordered through a warped voice.

"Mr. Pegasus, you sound a little under the weather, are you sure?" he asked in response to the odd voice.

"Do it." Shadi finished, shutting the phone. "Pegasus, pack your things. You're leaving early."

-

The drone, Pegasus's body, was moving silently and quickly around the room, tossing things into a briefcase. Shadi's figure was sitting on the bed, eyes closed, thinking.

"_Pegasus Crawford must have a place in history...somewhere that explained why I am here, a reason why he is alive."_ Shadi thought, searching through Pegasus's memory banks. _"Maybe he..."_

-

A flashback entered his mind, taking him to Ancient Egypt. Aknadin praying before a tablet, depicting a monstrous-looking creature.

"Sir, I will not be here to complete this task for my son. If I am victorious, it will not be needed. Please assist me; take it and use it to complete goals."

"_I will be needing something in return."_ a voice growled from above.

"Take possession of anything you see fit." Aknadin replied. "Just make sure that Seto gets what he deserves."

"_You have a lot of courage to come to me with your dying wishes, Aknadin. I will give your son, the Priest Seto what I believe he deserves indeed."_

-

"If I don't return, which I should..." Aknadin began, now addressing the captain and crew of a ship. "Sail out immediately. Straight out. This is your duty to Egypt. Go, record what needs to be recorded. You cannot fail." He handed the captain a map and a second scroll.

"Don't open this one until you get there." Aknadin instructed, adjusting the olden bag he had been carrying. As Aknadin turned to exit, the contents flashed by Shadi's view.

-

"_Impossible!"_ Shadi shouted in his and Pegasus's mind. _"Absolutely impossible. No one ever saw that...thing...again. What if Aknadin was in possession of it the entire time? Is it possible that it still exists? If this vision, and the visions of past months are indeed true...Pegasus can see any event that involves it. But I can only see things that happen involving the Millennium Items, which are forever gone now."_

"Pegasus!" Shadi called. "Let's go."

-

—International Date Line, Pacific Ocean—

"Pegasus, awaken." Shadi said. Pegasus coughed, waking up with a jolt.

"What, where am I?" Pegasus said, looking around.

"You are on your private jet, flying over the Pacific Ocean." Shadi informed him.

"You finished my thought..." Pegasus said.

"Yes. You realized that the time at which you are standing changes whether I can possess you or not. Both a bad and a good thing." Shadi said.

"I think it's fabulous." Pegasus remarked. "How not so?"

"If you avoid me, and I have something important to do, then something could go wrong." Shadi said.

"Did you find anything of interest?" Pegasus asked.

"I know why I possess you." Shadi said. Pegasus perked up, blinking. He was gone.

-

—Kaiba Corporation Headquarters, Su 7/1/07, 4:25A—

-

"Sir, Air Pegasus 1 is requesting permission to land at the KaibaLand Airfield." a tower worker shot back through the rows to his superior.

"_Pegasus is here already?"_ he thought. "Clear them for landing, get Roland on the phone. Whatever you do, don't wake Mr. Kaiba or Mr. Mokuba."

The plane successfully executed its landing on the runway, turning to one of the three gates available for planes. One was already occupied by Kaiba's private jet.

"Mr. Pegasus, sir, we've arrived." Croquet said, slightly nudging Pegasus to awaken.

"Really..." he mumbled. "Get my extra suit out of the closet, I'll be needing it. I don't want to be wearing this wrinkled piece from yesterday."

"Yes sir." Croquet said, feeling the breeze from the just opened door.

"Croquet, Roland asks that you come inside the terminal." the pilot shouted back.

"Thank you, Richard." Croquet replied.

"Sorry for making us come out this early." Pegasus said to Croquet, now returning with a suit bag in hand.

"It's fine. I feel worse for the Kaiba Corporation than I do me." he replied.

"Yeah right, I'm going inside and asking to use on of Kaiba's guest rooms." Pegasus said. Croquet laughed in response.

"Remember sir, you have a meeting in about eight hours."

-

"Mr. Crawford," Roland said, "what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"You wouldn't believe even if I told you." Pegasus said, yawning. "I must ask, when we arrive at the headquarters, if I might borrow one of Kaiba-boy's guest rooms. I did leave at one in the morning, apparently."

"Absolutely, Mr. Crawford." Roland replied, picking up his radio.

"_Ready Guest Room A for Pegasus Crawford."_

"Your pilot and Croquet are welcome to take Guest Room B." Roland informed him.

"That's fine." Pegasus replied, via yawn once again.

"_Guest Room B as well."_

"If you will join me on my cart, we will be on our way to the main H.Q."

-

—Seto Kaiba's Office, 12:45P, Su 7/1/07---

-

"Mr. Schroeder is on the runway, I've just been told, Mr. Kaiba." Roland said from the back of the room.

"Oh good, we can get this show on the road." Seto replied. "Tell him to hurry up. I can't believe that you slept here last night, Pegasus." Seto said. "Well, I can, but..."

"So, how's the Wheeler girl?" Pegasus interrupted, sipping at a glass of tea. Seto was completely dressed out of the norm, wearing a blue dress shirt, black tie, and black pants, no blazers included.

"She came for a check-up today. Cleverly enough, the limo that brings Yugi here is the same one that's taking the Wheelers home." Seto said.

"Interesting." Pegasus lied, taking another sip as the door opened. "Speak of the devil." Yugi walked in the room, taking the same seat he had last go around.

"What about me?" Yugi asked.

"We were discussing limousine arrangements." Pegasus explained, rolling his eyes.

"So, where's Mokuba?" Yugi asked.

"I'm right here!" he called back from under the desk. "Sorry, I was reattaching a cord. Holo-projector wasn't working."

"I drew up an agenda, although I didn't put anything time-wise on it." Pegasus said, glaring at Seto. Cracking a smile, he accepted the paper from Pegasus.

"Roland, once Zigfreak arrives, you can send for lunch." Seto said, watching Yugi read over his copy of the agenda.

"We're recording an announcement of the tournament?" Yugi asked.

"When we're done, we're making a thirty-minute tournament reveal 'show'" Pegasus explained, using air quotes. "Live announcements worldwide are rather difficult. We'll be going over everything, and opening the tournament website for public access. Basically, we're filling in all of the blanks, and sending off all of the names for background checks and invitations."

"Oh." Yugi said, reading. The room was quiet for solid two minutes, with Kaiba checking his email, Pegasus entering the network on his own laptop, and Yugi reading over the two-sided schedule." Roland's radio broke the peaceful moment.

"_I am now accompanying Zigfried von Schroeder up the elevator to Mr. Kaiba's office."_

"Hang onto your seats, men. Here he comes." Roland announced, bringing a laugh-filled smile to Seto's face.

"I've taught you well, Roland."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Leon successfully defends his European Championship title in a tight bout with Zigfried, after a 3600 point savage attack on his brother's life points. However, both of their strategies had been exhausted, leaving everything up to the turn of a card. In addition, we find out that Pegasus has his own connection to the ancient past, although it is exceedingly clouded. And finally, the final preparations for the announcement of the tournament are to be set, and the tournament will indeed start in approx. three chapters. Naturally, things are not as they seem. Who? You'll riddle it out.


	13. Chapter 13: Master Plans

**And now, a word from the author:**

I'm not dead! I have a shiny new diploma, but I'm not dead!

I wanted to forewarn you, as the reader, that ironically on chapter thirteen, this chapter will be the informational equivalent of Harry Potter 6. This means that this chapter, in your opinion, may be slower than molasses. I'm aware of that. It's also decently shorter in word count, but I should have fourteen done quicker. Don't fret.

-l

**Chapter 13**

"Good afternoon, everyone." Zigfried said, immediately walking to his chair. He set the laptop he was carrying on the table and began connecting.

"Let's begin." Seto said.

"Compliments on your duel with Leon." Pegasus said, greeting Zigfried.

"Thank you. Although, it didn't really matter which one of us won, we were both in the tournament already, and only put my brother closer to Seto in the rankings." Zigfried replied.

"Item one on the agenda," Pegasus began, "Mokuba Kaiba, on which of your theme parks did you decide upon for the tournament?"

"We never came to a conclusion. Domino City is the home of the world's best duelists, and is the first theme park we built. United States park hosted the Grand Championship last year, and we all know how that went. EuroKaiba, which is our newest addition to the KaibaLand family, was just recently broken in by the European Continental Championship, as well as the United Kingdom Championship. That's like, a triple-header of tournaments." Mokuba explained. "Also, with the extreme time differences between our three parks, the locations trade off morning, noon, and night."

"So, you didn't make a choice?" Zigfried asked, inquisitively.

"We were leaning toward EuroKaiba, and the park representatives said that they could handle it." Seto added. "That, and I'll be there to take control of _everything_, as per usual."

"So, EuroKaiba it is?" Pegasus asked, moving his hands up and down like a scale. Mokuba and Seto looked at one another, moving their eyebrows in conversation.

"Alright, World Championship 2007 will be officially held at EuroKaiba theme park in the United Kingdom." Mokuba said. "Someone should tell them. Now. Like Roland."

"Roland went down to get lunch for us." Seto reminded, grabbing a pad of paper and scribbling on it. Pegasus typed on his laptop, adjusting the tournament website, as well as his own data.

"Item two: we need to fill in the bracket with all of the positions of all of the finalists, preferably before the 120 names are filled in." Pegasus said. "This is to ensure that we don't give bias to anyone, even if we already know who they are." He tapped a key on his laptop, bringing up the hologram projection at the front of the room. A bracket of 128 appeared, completely blank.

"All we have to do is divide the champions and the runners up evenly over the board, with certain specifics." Seto explained. "We'll begin by placing the top four duelists in the four corners of the bracket. Yugi in the upper left, myself in the upper right, Leon in the lower left, and Rebecca in the lower left. One, two, three, four. Next, backwards for five through eight. So, Joey opposite Rebecca, Zigfried opposite Leon, Mai opposite me, and Vivian Wong opposite Yugi."

"By the way, I believe Seto and I mentioned this last week, each bracket quadrant will be named according to the top seed in the quadrant. So, the Mutou Bracket, the Kaiba Bracket, the Schroeder Bracket, and the Hawkins Bracket." Pegasus interrupted.

"Lunch has arrived." Roland said, walking into the room with a cart. Seto immediately handed him the paper he had scribbled a moment ago, sending him away once again after he served.

—One Hour Later—

"And, done!" Pegasus said, forcing a smile. Seto's eyes were bloodshot. "Item three-"

"STOP!" Seto yelled, grabbing his drink from the coffee table and taking a swig. Sighing heavily after the first drink, he looked at Pegasus. "That was ridiculous. I never thought 128 could be such a horrid number."

"Relax, it wasn't that bad." Zigfried said.

"Really, this coming from the person who created a holographic card projector when he was sixteen." Pegasus noted.

"I get placed into one, and I annihilate whom ever it tells me my next opponent is." Seto said. "I don't make them."

"Three is prizes." Pegasus continued, not listening to Seto's ranting. "Yugi, how much do you want?" The thought went right over Yugi's head.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Yeah really, huh?" Zigfried called.

"A joke, people!" Pegasus yelled. "I would have asked Kaiba, but no matter what he wins, it just goes right back into his bank account."

"So, do you want a purse or something?" Mokuba asked, rubbing his temples. "And we're not paying for this alone."

"I think five million sounds appropriate." Pegasus said. "For the winner, that is. I believe that all should receive payment for their contributions to excellent dueling. I devised a money ladder before I came that I wanted approval on. The purse, Mokuba, is almost ten million dollars, which is six-point-six million pounds, and almost a billion yen."

"Let's hear it." Seto said, giving a smirk.

"Five million to the champion, two to the second place. $750,000 to the third place, $250,000 to the fourth place. In thousands, round of eight gets 100, round of sixteen gets 25, round of thirty-two gets 10, sixty-four gets five, all else receives one." Pegasus read from the screen. "Total, $9,840,000." Seto face read 'I don't know about this'. Now addressing Seto and Zigfried, he continued, "I know it seems like a lot, but if we split it up between us three, we're each throwing in $3,280,000. We don't even have to put it together now. You can take your own winnings out of your chunk. Unless one of you two wins, in which you're paying. But Yugi-boy won't let that happen, right?"

"I'll do my best." Yugi told him.

"Good." Pegasus said. "Besides, the financial gains outweigh you having to pay toward a purse."

"When will these monetary prizes be awarded?" Mokuba asked. "Half the field will be eliminated after the first round."

"I was thinking about that, too." Yugi asked. "All of the people who are eliminated would have to wait for the rest of the tournament for their prize."

"Could we have a rest day?" Zigfried said. "We could put a small ceremony on that day to give the first... duelists their prizes, and then give the rest out at the closing ceremonies. That would give all of the losers the freedom to return home."

"They could stay if they like for the remainder." Seto informed them. "Each participant and two guests will receive V.I.P. Park Passes for the entire duration of the tournament. Regular tournament passes are also for sale at the front for about four hundred dollars, or however many pounds, euros, whatever. I'd like to use the American Dollar, which a disadvantage of using EuroKaiba."

"Which is a decent segway to item four." Pegasus said. "Housing."

"The new KaibaLand Hotel. Done." Seto said.

"200 or more rooms, and how they might be grouped?"

"There are thirty floors, twenty seven of which are for housing, one base, and two suites floors." Seto explained. "More than enough for all of the participants to arrange themselves as they please. I'm responsible for assigning the suites on the top two floors."

"Item five." Pegasus said, having been beaten in his argument. "All one hundred twenty-three participants who are not yet aware that they are to be participating need to be invited."

"I think it would be fun if we personally invited all of the participants." Mokuba said, receiving a joking response.

"We can't fly around the world to invite them ourselves." Seto replied. "However, I do feel that mail is too risky at such short notice. I'll have Roland dispatch KaibaCorp. officials from each of our KaibaLand offices to personally deliver invitations to the tournament."

"It will be required that they be at EuroKaiba promptly at noon on Tuesday the tenth for check-in." Pegasus said, in a sort of asking voice. "Item six." he began, now escaping the confines of his agenda. "I propose the institution of the 8000 life point rule change for the entire duration of the tournament." A silence fell over the room. Zigfried was the first to speak.

"It was a decent amount of fun, having more life points to play with. More options." he remarked.

"It doesn't matter how many life points you give my opponent. I'll still take them all." Seto remarked, tossing Pegasus his card.

"Joey and I gave it a try, and we were okay with it. It definitely opened up Joey's room for error on his luck." Yugi said.

"How bad?" Seto asked, smiling.

"Joey did well." Yugi replied, standing up for Joey.

"He didn't even make a dent, did he?" Zigfried asked.

"He got me to 5000." Yugi mumbled, leaning back in his chair.

"So we all agree to this rule change, and the reason I want the contestants so early is so that they have a test day on Wednesday to practice." Pegasus explained.

"And who will they duel against in practice? Surely not anyone they'll play in the tournament." Zigfried asked.

"We could open up time-frames for each entrant on one of the KaibaCorp dueling robots, set to the same level I gave to Miss Valentine." Seto suggested. Mokuba typed furiously to catch every thought.

"Fine; item seven." Pegasus dragged on. "Duel disks or dueling platforms?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll have them bring up all seven of the dueling platforms in the stadium, and duelists can choose whether they feel more comfortable using their duel disk or tabletop." Seto said. "However, these practice matches are to be done in private rooms. No knowledge of the opponent."

"People will probably choose duel disks, just because most everyone uses them." Mokuba added.

"Not necessarily, Mokuba." Zigfried interrupted. "In traditional tournaments, duels are played on platforms during the final matches. Some people might feel calmer or more excited dueling as such."

"Of course, duel disks are always an option, but they will be attached to the platforms." Seto added. "I won't have the platforms being lowered and raised every time a different pair of opponents wants a different field."

"Fair enough." Pegasus said. "If no one else has anything to bring up, I think that I've covered everything."

"Really?" Mokuba said, looking through his notes. "Yeah, the only thing we have to do is record the public information and-"

"Oh, it seems I've forgotten something on my agenda." Pegasus said.

"Item eight." Mokuba reminded. "Tournament. Dueling. Schedule."

"Shit." Pegasus replied.

"I knew we couldn't be done that easily." Seto remarked, receiving an eye roll from Zigfried.

"Isn't that something we can do...after we've filmed. The public really doesn't need to know that the English Rank Two is dueling on the first Tuesday at 8:37 in the morning." Zigfried joked.

"I suppose not. I've got an idea." Mokuba interjected. "Yugi and I will stay here and riddle out the schedule. You three can go down the hall to the press room and film. I'll send you the information."

"Works for me. Let's go." Seto said, standing up. "You'd better give yourself plenty of rest this tournament, Yugi. You're going to need it."

-KC Medical Ward–

"Excuse me, nurse?" Duke Devlin asked, sitting up.

"Yes?"

"Is there a computer that I could access?"

"Um...yes, in fact." she replied, cautious. "However, I have strict orders not to let you contact Miss Serenity Wheeler."

"Don't worry, I won't." he said, smiling. The nurse, giving off a slight blush, left to the room to fetch one of the hospitals webcam computers, normally used by patients who can not leave the hospital to contact their families. She returned swiftly, bringing over a wheeled table.

"I shall have to monitor your computer usage." she said, grabbing a chair. "Most fun I'll have all day." Duke chuckled. Clicking on Internet Explorer, he typed swiftly into his email and messaging systems.

"Oh good, Pegasus isn't going to end my contract after this mishap." Duke sighed.

"The Pegasus Crawford?" the nurse asked. Duke turned the screen to reveal a picture of a pink rabbit.

"Yes, ma'am." he replied, closing out of the message. "Now just one to write and I'm done." His mouse moved over his list of contacts. Scrolling, he found the 'W' section.

"Mr. Devlin, you-"

"I know what I can and can not do."

-London, England–

"Zeke!" a voice rang out. The origin of the sound was sitting behind a desk, making a video call. On the other end, an empty bedroom could be seen, sporting New Zealand flag and winter sporting gear.

"Coming, sir." a dreary voice called from the other end. The screen blurred as a man, no more than twenty years of age, sat in front of the other computer. Sweeping the emo-style black hair out of his eyes, he looked forward.

"Where were you, Zeke? I told you ten o'clock, UK time." the man said, vaguely cringing. Pointing to his face, the man opposite got the memo.

"I'm sorry, Master. I must have gotten the time change wrong." he replied, wiping off his face of foreign substance.

"Well." Master responded. "Don't get it wrong again. The World Championship is due to begin in a couple of weeks."

"I am aware, sir. I have already reigned victorious in the New Zealand National Championship." Zeke stated.

"So I know." Master said in a dull voice. "Sources report that Seto Kaiba will be formally announcing his tournament today."

"Sources?"

"We've infiltrated the home of Zigfried and Leon von Schroeder. There is a meeting today in Domino City to finalize plans." Master answered, sighing. "Listen. I have some investigating for you to do. Do you remember...her?"

"You mean N-"

"Shh!" Master hissed. "I have reports that she was very successful in the Oceanic League Finals. If she enters the World Tournament, she'll leave her exile, and have a chance to escape. Needless to say, once we find all of the information for the tournament, I want you to tail her. With subtlety. She knows who you are."

"With pleasure. And what should I do if the subject attempts to escape?" Zeke asked,

"Use your imagination." Master replied. "I've had enough of that girl already."

"May I ask a question, sir?" Zeke said. After a long sigh, Master gave a hand motion. "Why are you in the United Kingdom, sir?"

"Oh." Master replied, laughing. "Now that, I can't answer. Never fear, I'll be back in my home country in time to receive invitation. Now, I bid you farewell. Good luck."

"Thank you sir." Zeke said, hitting the "X" button on the chat window. Master sat back in his chair.

"Why do I do this?" Master asked himself. "There's never going to be a complete set again. Not as long as she is alive." He spied a blue necklace that he had previously set on the table. "This is not ideal. But it is a start."

-KCHQ, Domino City, Japan–

"Sorry to interrupt you guys." Yugi said, looking into the webcam. "We've finished the schedule."

"Good. Read it off to us." Seto replied.

"Okay. We fit the entire tournament into a grand total of two weeks. Opening Ceremonies are on Friday the thirteenth. On the fourteenth through the seventeenth, each of the four brackets will each take a day and duel. So, day one will have Hawkins; day two, Kaiba; day three, Schroeder; day four, Mutou."

"Sounds good. Round two." Seto said.

"Round two starts on Day Five, which is the eighteenth. Both the Hawkins and the Kaiba divisions will duel, then on Day Six, Schroeder and Mutou divisions will duel. Then, on that Friday, which is the twentieth, we'll have the Intermediate Prize Ceremony, awarding the 96 duelists that were eliminated their prizes." Mokuba explained.

"Day Seven will see the remaining Hawkins and Kaiba division duelists battle, and Day Eight will see Schroeder and Mutou. Day Nine will be the Divisional Semifinals for Hawkins and Kaiba, Day Ten will have Schroeder and Mutou. Day Eleven will have all four divisions having their Division Finals." Yugi continued.

"Alright. Next, Day Twelve." Mokuba began. "Mutou winner versus Hawkins winner, as well as Kaiba winner versus Schroeder winner. Then a rest day where the Bronze Match will take place. Finally, Day Thirteen is the Championship Duel and the Closing Ceremonies."

"Excellent. We're only half way through filming at the moment. Mokuba, could you update the tournament website with publically needed information. Yugi, could you come down here for a minute. We need you for something."

"Do I have to speak?"

"No. Just a photograph and good pose." Pegasus shouted from behind the desk.

"Be down." Yugi said. As he stood up, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. "Joey." he sighed.

"Hello?" he said. Instead of Joey's usual booming voice from the phone came a quiet girl.

"Would you forgive him, Yugi?"

* * *

**VekuKaiba: **See, just a useless vat of information for you. But, I did throw in some excitement, right? After all, every series needs "The Big Bad", and I thought that I would give this tale a little more villainy And, what has Duke done in his hospital time? Chapter Fourteen on the way!


	14. Chapter 14: Into the Wormhole

Chapter 14

–KCHQ, Domino, Japan, 6:31p, 7/1/07–

"And we are online." Mokuba said. "That's all."

"Well, I hope you all enjoyed your stay." Seto said. "Out."

"I'll send you both final contracts." Pegasus said, standing. "Kaiba-boy, remember that you have to send out invitations. You have the list of finalists, so go hunt them down. Also, it would be nice if you made preparations for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. You know, something for entertainment. Music, something. Nice entrance,"

"I get the point." Seto interrupted. "I can be creative."

"Alright, gentlemen. Other than Seto over there, you'll all be sent invitations detailing everything, and you can access the website with your administrative logins." Pegasus finished.

"It shall be quite the fortnight." Zigfried commented, picking up his belongings.

"Roland, ready the planes and limo." Seto said into his coat. "Yes sir" could be heard in return.

"We shall reconvene on Monday, July 9th at EuroKaiba theme park in England." Pegasus finished. Yugi sat quietly, thinking about his previous phone call.

Flashback

"Would you forgive him, Yugi?" Serenity asked.

"Oh, hi Serenity. Forgive who?" Yugi replied.

"Duke just sent an apology. Should I forgive him? Would you forgive him?"

Yugi stood in the middle of Seto Kaiba's office, confused as how to answer. The seconds ticked like hours, conjuring an appropriate response.

"_What do I say to that? He tried to kidnap her over adrenaline of infatuation. How could I say yes? But how can I say no?"_

"Yugi?" Serenity asked, not knowing if he was still there.

"_What do I say?"_

"Are you there?"

"I'm here." Yugi sighed. "I think you should forgive him...in time. He has issues he needs to face." With that, he hung up the phone. Stunned by a question off guard that although is a standard 'yes or no' question, has so many levels to it.

"Yugi?" Mokuba said, waving his hand around in front of Yugi's eyes. Yugi jolted forward, snapping back into reality. A small laughter came from around the room. "Yugi, the limousine is waiting to take you home."

"Oh!" Yugi said, startled. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"Clearly." Seto added from the other side of the room.

"I'll just...go. See you guys next week." Yugi said, heading for the door.

"_Auf Wiedersehen_, Herr Yugi." Zigfried said as Yugi passed through the door frame. Yugi gave a thumbs up from in the hallway to the elevator. After the door closed, Seto put his hand to his head and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Pegasus asked.

"I just remembered that I involuntarily invited the entire geek squad to the tournament." Seto answered.

"How so?" Mokuba asked.

"Since Yugi and Wheeler both get two extra tickets, they have enough to invite the whole squad and more." Seto explained.

"Ah, what kind of tournament would we have without their cheerleaders?" Zigfried asked.

-London, England, 11:00a Su 7/1/07, Equivalent Time–

"Celeste!" Master called from the other room.

"Yes." she returned.

"The tournament website is online. It looks like I'm sending you home to collect our invitations." Master informed her. "The World Championship is right here in England, as predicted. I'll pack up and prepare for the move into the new Kaibaland Hotel."

"Do we know when we are dueling?"

"Not yet. Tournament brackets won't be revealed until the Opening Ceremonies. Although I can tell you the identities of the top eight duelists. We were correct, the majority of our targets are in the top eight, meaning they shall encounter plenty of us for us to take data." Master explained.

"Lovely." Celeste replied, walking into the room. "Well, I'll take the helicopter tomorrow morning."

"Yes. Everyone is coming here. Right to me. It's perfect." Master said.

"Don't worry, I'll advance far. I already beat every top duelist in Canada." Celeste said. Master coughed loudly.

"Oh, and I was permitted to defeat you, in order to avoid suspicions, Master." she quickly added.

"In just under a fortnight, we shall begin our work. At last."

The sound at the EuroKaiba airfield was deafening. All KaibaCorp helicopters were spread out across the field, ready for takeoff. Not so far away, a helicopter was taking off from a private airfield.

"I'll be back soon." Celeste said through her headset.

"We are clear for takeoff" a worker at the EuroKaiba airfield tower called out.

"Hurry back."

"KaibaCraft 2, engage."

–

–Inside the Wormhole–

-California, USA

"Her duel disk has been located as moving at 65 mph toward UCLA main campus." a KaibaCorp. henchman answered.

"Excellent." Croquet replied. Croquet had been assigned to present special invitations. "Follow."

"Well, you gotta think, girl, he's got a few years on you." Janine, Rebecca's friend, reminded her.

"I know, but age is just a number, right?" Rebecca asked, weary-eyed.

"Umm...no. Besides, didn't you say something about some girl, what was her name again?"

"Tea. Her name is Tea." Rebecca said with smite. "But I think we all know that...is that...a helicopter?" She looked out the moon roof to see a helicopter, flying low, straight above their car.

"Aww, what the..." Janine said, honking her horn and giving an obscene gesture out the roof.

"Sir, I don't think that's Rebecca." the henchman said.

"She's on the passenger side, can't you see the hair?"

"I'm flying."

Rebecca shifted the mirrors position to get a better view of the copter. "You might want to pull over. It's a KaibaCorp. helicopter."

"So?" Janine asked, looking up.

"Watch the road!" Rebecca called as Janine snapped into focus. "Duel Monsters World Championship invitations go out today."

"Fine." she said, giving a right turn signal. The helicopter flew over and landed in the grassy patch within an exit ramp. Emerging from the side door, Croquet ran out to the ramp.

"Here, drive along the side to meet him." Rebecca ordered, pointing out the window.

"Miss Rebecca Hawkins, on behalf of the Kaiba Corporation, I2, the Schroeder Corporation and Mr. Yugi Mutou, I present you an invitation to compete in the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championships, as the fourth seed and division leader." Croquet announced, cars whizzing by.

"Thank you, Croquet."

"Inside, you'll find your tournament registration, preliminary identification cards, three plane tickets and three V.I.P. park passes." Croquet explained.

"I'll make sure to look over everything." Rebecca replied, winking.

"See you next week!"

"Girl, I am so proud of you." Janine said. "Where's this thing gonna be held?"

"EuroKaiba, England." Rebecca replied. "Hey Janine, you know, I have three plane tickets here."

"Yeah."

"And three park passes." Rebecca continued.

"So?" Janine asked, looking at Rebecca. "Shut up!"

"Guess who is coming to England with Gramps and me?" Rebecca asked, receiving a shriek in response.

-Tokyo, Japan–

"Roland, I have here that she is currently on an observation deck in Tokyo Tower."

"Oh lord." Roland said, swearing soon after. "I've interrupted three classes, a service, and scared a dozen people in a movie theater, and now I have to descend onto Tokyo Tower. Who cares about getting fired anymore, let's just get arrested."

"I'll be landing on a construction flat nearby, if you don't mind taking a walk."

"Oh, thank God." Roland said.

"She should be about three hundred feet on your right, now."

"I have a visual, let's go." Roland said, he and his henchman now swiftly walking toward Mai Valentine.

"Mai Valentine, on behalf of KC, I2, Schroeder Corp, and Mr. Yugi Mutou, I present you with an invitation to the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championships, as the sixth seed in the tournament."

"I thought I might be hearing from you people." Mai said. "Where do I sign?"

"No signatures required, just follow the instructions in the envelope. I.D., plane tickets and park passes are all inside." Roland informed her.

"You should know by now that I only need one ticket and pass. I'm a loner." Mai said, opening the envelope.

"You should keep it. You never know who you might think of." Roland said, raising a hand. "Farewell."

"Goodbye." Mai said. As Roland walked away, Mai looked up.

"It's time to start over. Again."

-KC Medical Ward–

"Mr. Devlin, you are free to go." the nurse said, wrapping up a computer cord.

"Thank you, so much, Dorothea." Duke said, nodding.

"She seems like a sweet girl. I hope you two will be friends once again." Dorothea added, now standing in the door frame.

"I can only hope." Duke said. Both Duke and Dorothea took the reply from Serenity on the third.

Duke,

What you did was inconceivably ridiculous and terrifying. To ask such a thing of anyone after a stunt like this is preposterous. However, my sister, Serenity, wants to relay this to you. Yugi told her this, and she is taking it to heart. She'll forgive you, eventually. But, not right now. You have to deal with the consequences of your actions. She know that when the time is right, you will see one another again. As friends. And only as friends. So help me God, only as friends

.

Joey

-New Zealand–

"As Chief Overseer of Solid Vision for the Kaiba Corporation in Australia, it is a privilege to award you an invitation to the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championships in England."

"Thank you, sir. It is an honor." Zeke replied, outstretching his hand to shake. "Are you also giving the invitations for the Oceanic League?"

"Why yes. I just arrived from there, actually. I just dropped off an invitation to a young girl Naomi, as well as her friend Natalee." the man responded.

-Kame Game Shop, Domino City, Japan–

"This could be the safest place I've been all day." Roland commented, opening the door to the shop. Solomon was at his place behind the counter.

"Hello, what can I...oh wait, it's you, Roland." Solomon began.

"I'm going to assume that both Yugi and Joey are here." Roland said.

"And you assume correct." Solomon noted, turning to the staircase. "Yugi, there are two men in black suits wanting to rob the place. Come quick!" Roland laughed. Joey and Tristan barged down the staircase, both tripping as they hit the ground.

"Hey Roland." Yugi said, him and Tea walking down behind Joey and Tristan.

"If someone were robbing the place, do you think I would have had time to yell all of that?" Solomon asked, looking down at the two boys.

"No, not really." Tristan said, getting up.

"Formalities or no formalities?" Roland asked, yawning.

"No formalities; you seem tired." Yugi replied, continuing the yawn.

"Tournament ID's, three passes and plane tickets each. Congratulations, Defending World Champion, Rank 5 to Joseph Wheeler. EuroKaiba, England, July 8th is when you leave. Good luck, on behalf of kay-see, eye-two, ess-see and you." he said, pointing at Yugi with one hand and offering envelopes with the other.

"Well put. Go take a nap." Joey said, taking the envelope.

"Oh by the way..." he added, swallowing a yawn, "Mr. Mokuba birthday is on the seventh. No idea what gift you could give that he doesn't already own or have the capabilities to purchase, but, a thought."

-Toronto, Canada–

Celeste's helicopter landed in a field behind a housing development. She flicked her angelic blonde hair back out of her face and begin walking toward her house. On the road ahead, she watched as a limousine with two flags adorning at the front inching ever closer to the cul-de-sac.

"Well, I have excellent timing." Celeste noted, taking off for her back door. She pulled he purse in front of her, digging for a key. As she jumped up the staircase to the porch, she cold hear doors slamming from the front. A child playing in the street could be heard using the word "shiny" to describe the limo. Ready to laugh hysterically, she cranked open the door, running for her front door. In mid jog, she hopped around to throw her shoes across the room and to toss her purse on the table. Upon arrival at the door, she unlocked it, placed her hand on the door, and inhaled.

_Knock knock knock..._.

"Hello" she said, opening the door. The man in front of her seemed startled.

"Oh, hi." he replied. "Is this the Deveraux residence?"

"It sure is, what can I do for you today?" Celeste responded.

"Why yes. My name is Tom Baker, and I'm Vice President of Affairs at the Solid Vision network station for North America. I'm here to deliver an invitation to the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championships."

"Yes!" Celeste said, putting on an excited tone. "I'm lucky I got here in time."

"Was that your helicopter?" Tom asked.

"Why yes, my husband and I love flying. In fact, we had just flown across to Vancouver to visit family." she lied, smiling.

"I wish I could pilot myself around the country."

"Oh yes, it's quite fun." Celeste assured him. "Do you have my husband's invitation as well?"

"Yes, I have one for the both of you. Inside are your I.D's, three park passes and three plane tickets a piece. But, seeing as you can fly yourself, there is a number inside to call if you don't need to fly Air Kaiba." Tom explained.

"Thank you so much." Celeste said, reaching out to grab the envelopes.

"Once again, congratulations." Tom said, handing over the envelopes and taking a step back.

"Thank you." Celeste said, shutting the door. Immediately, she whipped out her cell phone and walked to put on her shoes.

"Yes?" Master answered.

"I'm gathering everything we'll need. I'm on my way home." Celeste said.

"Excellent."

-Kame Game Shop, Domino–Sa 7/7/07–

"Why am I here?" Seto asked, waiting for the driver to open the door.

"Because it's my birthday and I asked you to come." Mokuba replied, looking over at his brother.

"Very true. Happy thirteenth birthday." Seto said. "Again. And the entire population of KaibaLand wishes you happy birthday as well, seeing how you opened the park for free today."

"I thought it would be fun." Mokuba said. "And it was." Just then, the driver opened the door, revealing the front door of the Kame Game Shop.

"Are you sure that Tea said here?" Seto asked, noting the eerie darkness.

"Positive." Mokuba replied, stepping out of the limo. Walking up to the door, he knocked.

"Well, to me, it looks like no one is home." Seto remarked. Suddenly, the door cracked open. "We're gonna die."

"Seto." Mokuba whined, pushing open the door. "Hello, is anyone here?"

"Show yourself." Seto said.

"Surprise!" a chorus rang out. Solomon, Yugi, Joey, Tea and Tristan jumped out from behind the counter. Suddenly, a smile ran across Mokuba's face. Seto merely looked blank.

"Happy birthday, Mokuba." Tea said, walking in front of the counter.

"You brought me here...for a birthday party?" Seto asked.

"Roland inspired us to find something that Mokuba didn't already have, and couldn't readily purchase." Yugi explained.

"So, we thought Mokuba would enjoy a nice night among friends." Tea finished.

'That's really nice of you guys." Mokuba replied.

"You call these geeks friends?" Seto muttered, receiving a stare from Mokuba.

"You don't?"

"Is there cake?" Seto then asked, looking at Tea.

"In the other room, yes." Tea answered, giving an awkward look back.

"Party." Seto said. _"You're lucky that there is an eight-hour time difference between Japan and England. Then again, there is only one more thing left to do..."_

"...to you" the room sang, standing around Mokuba. Mokuba inhaled, then blew out thirteen candles sitting on top of a circular cake."

"Chocolate, right?" Mokuba asked.

"Half and half." Tea said, playing hostess. "I also whipped up Chocolate Parfait for you. I believe that Seto said it was your favorite."

"It is." Mokuba assured her, looking at Seto. "So you did have a hand in this."

"I might have." Seto said, looking away. "I had a lunch break, and 'Mr. I Stand Too Close To The Webcam' and the rest of the geek squad called. They had an idea, and I figured you would enjoy it."

"Even in my own house." Yugi murmured, raising his eyebrows. Seto caught the look of distaste and laughed.

"Let's eat!" Joey said.

"We just had dinner." Tea said. "You can't be that hungry. Then again..."

"I'll cut the cake while you decide what you want to do."

"Oh no..." Seto said.

"Let's play Monopoly." Mokuba suggested.

"Okay. We can play the new Electronic Banking edition." Yugi said.

"You kids go ahead and play, I'm going to go upstairs." Solomon said, accepting a piece of cake from Tea.

"Oh, alright. Good night!" Yugi said.

"Good night, Mr. Mutou." Mokuba said.

"So, are we playing on teams or as individuals." Joey asked, setting the game board on the table. "And I call being the banker!"

"Joey, we don't need a banker. We all get credit cards." Tea said.

"Oh good, can I use my own?" Seto joked, reaching for his back pocket.

"In theory, this could take hours." Tristan said. Mokuba and Yugi looked at one another.

"Individually." they said at once.

* * *

**VekuKaiba:** For anyone who wanted to know, Yugi wins that game of Monopoly, after dueling it out with Mokuba for the final turns. I have the actual score somewhere, but not on hand. If anyone still remembers me, I am alive and still writing, although busy. Writing Chapter 15 as I type. I love my new computer. Pie.


	15. Chapter 15: Skyward Views

Chapter 15

–Domino Airport, 7/8/07, 12:05–

"Tell me you packed everything this time, Joey." Tea said. "I'm not letting you borrow my toothbrush like you did last time."

"Was that what was in the bio-hazard bag?" Tristan joked.

"Hey! I got all my stuff!" Joey whined. As Tea laughed, Yugi and Solomon Mutou collected their bags from the security check.

"Hey guys!" Tea called.

"Yugi!" Joey yelled.

"Good morning, guys." Yugi said, walking forward, yawning. Looking up, he caught sight of a clock. "Good afternoon, actually."

"You were up for a long time last night, I see." Solomon said, smiling.

"Yeah, Mokuba and Yugi were at it for an hour." Tristan said.

"But, Yugi pulled through, as always. Who ever said 'King of Games' was only for Duel Monsters?" Joey boasted. Serenity chuckled, now standing next to Joey.

"Yugi Mutou!" a man called from behind. At the security gate, Sebastian Roux ripped his bags from the shelf and ran to join them.

"Hit the deck." Tea muttered. "It's that creepy waiter from the restaurant."

"Hello Sebastian." Yugi said.

"Sir, you're going to have to remove your shoes." A voice called from behind Sebastian.

"It's that dancer guy, too." Tea said. "Alex." Reluctantly slipping off his shoes, Alex waved over at the group. "Is he competing?"

"Alex Reynolds finished third in the Chinese National Championship." Sebastian informed them.

"So, what flight are you guys on?" Yugi asked.

"Alex and I are on the one o' clock, what about you?" he replied.

"We've all got the twelve-thirty." Yugi told him.

"I expect Kaiba gave you a private plane." Alex said, walking to Sebastian's left.

"As far as we know" Yugi admitted.

"It's cool." Alex said.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Tea asked, more directed toward Alex than Sebastian.

"Sebastian is my cousin." Alex said. "I was visiting him and his family for the tournament here in Japan."

"Have you enjoyed your stay?" Serenity said.

"Yes, it's been quite fun."

"It's a shame we'll be gone for _Gion Matsuri _parade." Serenity added. "It's an annual festival in Kyoto that my mom and I go to." Alex shrugged.

"So, are you two excited for the tournament?" Joey asked, moving the conversation along.

"Oh, I'm very excited for it. I've been waiting for it for a long time now." Alex replied.

"It was only a matter of time before another tournament was created on this level." Sebastian noted, giving a mental glare. Tea rolled her eyes as she dug around in her purse for her phone. Clicking a button on the side, she read the time: 12:15.

"Yugi, I think we should be getting to the gate. They'll be boarding us soon" she said, making any move to leave the waiter and his cousin. Solomon spied across the terminal.

"She's right. The Kaiba Corporation is not a patient ordeal." he added.

"Oh, alright." Yugi said. "We'll see you at the tournament."

"See ya' then." Sebastian said, extending a hand. Yugi accepted it quickly, then turned to his friends.

"To the gate."

Alex and Sebastian turned to their right walked toward a window. "Don't worry. We'll get through. I won't let him take us down in his scheme"

"Is the whole field here or something?" A female voice rang out. From behind a copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine, Mai Valentine poked her head up. The group stopped and turned in surprise. "Well, pretty much anyone who matters, anyway."

"Mai!" Joey exclaimed, taking a step forward. Before he could do so, Mai was already on her feet and walking.

"Did I hear right, Yugi? Twelve-thirty is a private jet?" Mai asked. She gave a grateful look to the ceiling, and returned to level.

"You're on our flight, too." Tea asked.

"You bet. The twerps left a while ago, couldn't have been happier to get them out of my sight."

"Twerps?" Serenity asked.

"Rex and Weevil" Mai answered.

"Not them again. How do they keep getting into these things? You'd think by now Kaiba would have banned them or something." Tristan complained.

"They finished third and fourth, respectively in the Japanese Nationals." Yugi informed them. "They've never proved too problematic before."

"Yeah, they're just pests. I do admit that Weevil did sound angry toward any mention of you, Yugi." Mai told him.

"It could be the fact that you continuously slashed him with Breaker the Magical Warrior in your last duel." Tea said.

"I did what?" Yugi said, clueless to that memory.

"Never mind, I forgot, you weren't here for that. Well…er…yeah, just forget about it." Tea rambled.

"Okay…"Mai said.

_"KaibaCraft Two to London, England. Now boarding all specially ticketed passengers"_ a voice rang from above.

"Let's move it, people, I'm starving, and I know Kaiba's got grub on that thing." Joey said, grabbing the handle of his suitcase.

"Typical Joey." Mai said, staring past the others.

"I heard that!" Tristan said, "Let's go!"

"Hey! Wait up!"

l

-KaibaCraft Two, 12:45p-

Mai laughed hysterically. Joey carefully picked up the various straws he'd dropped on the floor.

"What was that?" he called, panicked.

"Nothing," Mai assured him, giving Serenity a 'high-five' from across the table.

"Here" Joey said in a disgruntled tone, handing out straws.

"All in good fun. So Yugi, how has everything been now that you're out of school?" Mai asked.

"It's been alright. Pegasus has had me busy." Yugi replied.

"Tell me about it. He had me go all the way to KaibaCorp just to duel a robot with a few extra points. Too easy," she said in agreement.

"You mean the 8000 life point rule." Yugi said.

"Exactly. What's he up to?" Mai asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Yugi assured her, giving a nod. "Everything gets done in a meeting tomorrow. Then four days after that are the Opening Ceremonies, and then the duels commence."

"That's all I got out of the temporary schedule, too." Mai said, pulling her envelope from her bag.

"All it says for two of the days between the meeting and the ceremony is 'Attendance Not Required, but Highly Suggested.'" Tea said, reading the paper Mai had revealed.

"By that, I'd say that a lot of people are in for a surprise." Mai said, glancing over to Yugi down the table.

"I said nothing." Yugi said, taking a bite of noodles.

"Well, this ought to be fun." Mai said, putting the schedule away.

"So Mai, is your deck ready for battle?" Joey asked, swallowing.

"It's still in pristine condition." Mai assured. "Don't think it'll be easy if you come across me."

"Based on your rankings, you'll probably be on opposite sides of the bracket." Solomon pointed out.

"How do you know that?" Tristan asked, stuffing his mouth with another helping of corn.

"Well, Joey is number five, and Mai is number seven." Solomon explained. "If it were just eight people, they would be on opposite sides, and that holds true for any larger number."

"You hear that, Joey? If you want to face me, you're going to have to finish top four." Mai said.

"So do you."

"Trust me; I'm not going to go down easy." Mai assured him. "And remember. You're on Yugi's side. Speaking of Yugi, is your deck ready to go?"

"Yes. I've worked out everything I need to for the tournament. Joey also tuned up his deck." Yugi replied, pushing his plate forward. "I think I'm well prepared for the tournament. I have faith in my deck, as always."

"What about Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon?" Mai asked. "I watched the duel. It dismantled the Egyptian God Cards."

"I don't know. I'll just work around it, I guess." Yugi said. "I can actually duel without them, if anyone remembers the past."

"Do you remember the ice cavern, Yugi." Solomon asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Arthur and I have been conversing over the past weeks, trying to uncover a reason for its existence. For those of you who don't know, Arthur Hawkins was alerted to the discovery of a cave in Antarctica where five tablets were found. The most intriguing part was that the carvings were in ice, making it difficult to work with." Solomon explained. "There's been another discovery. Upon careful excavation, they found that the back of each tablet had a hollow space."

"So, what did they find?" Tea asked.

"They say the back of the tablets. There is no writing on the back, only images. A collage of sorts, Arthur said. It was difficult to make out in the ice. They weren't exactly sure what it was."

"Well did they ever find out?" Yugi asked.

"Out of six figures, they made out a triangle..." Solomon began.

"Now I can't say that I don't believe in this magic stuff." Mai interrupted. "But could someone at least fill me in on why this is important?" Solomon sighed.

"Surrounding the triangle was a magnificent bird. It appeared to have three prongs sticking out of its head, and there was a very distinct jewel on top of its head." Solomon explained. "Familiar?"

"Impossible!" Joey yelled. "Slifer?"

Tea put her hand to her head in disappointment. Yugi and Mai sighed.

"No, Joseph. Not Slifer." Solomon said, shaking his head.

"Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon?" Yugi said in disbelief.

"Is it really a surprise to see one of Kaiba's monsters on an ancient tablet?" Tea asked.

"Not really, but the question is, why is it even there, and what else is within the picture?"

"Not to mention what else the chamber holds." Solomon said, holding back. "But, back to what we were saying…er, what were we talking about?"

"I was about to say that it's been so long since Yugi dueled without the Egyptian God Cards. There's been a lack of hope recently that Yugi could pull it out without them. They give him so much power." Mai commented.

"Yugi defeated Leon and Zigfried's Castle without playing a single God Card." Joey pointed out.

"And he survived the entire Orichalcos disaster without them, too." Tristan added.

"Yes, but that's not public knowledge." Mai reminded them. "The Seal of Orichalcos is an illegal card, and there's only one copy currently in existence. As for the Grand Championship, that was one duel, and if I remember correctly, Yugi lost a third of his deck to the Golden Castle."

"But they can't honestly think that Yugi won't win!" Tea complained.

"There was a girl I used to work with when I was a casino dealer. One of the few people I keep in touch with." Mai said, making a hand gesture. "She gives me updates on betting odds and such. Apparently, Yugi and Kaiba have been switching off for who the favorite is in the tournament. According to her, all one hundred twenty-six of the other competitors could pass as odds for 'the rest of the field'. There are odds for some though, including seven of the top eight."

"Who's the odd one out?" Tristan asked.

"Vivian Wong, number eight." Mai replied.

"Rebecca would be happy." Yugi noted.

"Her? I'm happy." Tea said, beaming.

"I've dueled with her before. Her skills are…good." Mai said.

"She was totally out of line during the Grand Championship." Solomon said. "She did have quite the healing power with her kung fu."

"Even at that, she got exactly what she deserved. Eliminated from the tournament and trounced by Yugi." Tea said. "She's no threat. And everyone else should look out."

"I'm not undefeatable." Yugi said quietly. He looked up at the table. "I have the ability to lose." Joey sighed, then looked over.

"We know that it's possible." he admitted. "We just don't want to see it happen."

"I don't want to see it happen either." Yugi said, defensively. "I but I want to remind everyone that I can lose, you know? I'm not going to throw a match, and I will avoid losing at most costs, but, come on."

"To the public eye, you're the undefeated World Champion and King of Games." Mai reminded him. "To the inner circle, two losses recorded. One time when you could have won; the other via the Seal."

"Actually, there is a third." Solomon noted.

"When was that?" Yugi asked.

"You surrendered your victory to Rebecca as well," he reminded him.

"Does that matter?" Mai asked. "The overall point is that the day Yugi loses is…well, we'll see what happens. And look out. I intend to give Kaiba a run for his money, and anyone else that stands in my way."

"That's the spirit." Yugi said, cracking a smile. "Win or lose, everything goes into this tournament."

"Absolutely!" Joey said, jumping out of his seat. "Let's show Rich-boy that no one's going to dethrone Yugi without a fight!"

"And a quick reminder that we are on a Kaiba Corporation-owned plane with workers that we know Kaiba couldn't care less about if it crashed." Mai said, noting the flight attendants in suits.

"Oh, Seto would care…right?" Serenity said, adding a lack of sureness.

"Is Mokuba on this plane?" Tristan asked.

"Nope." Joey replied.

"Then no." Tristan said.

"Well, he needs Yugi alive if he wants his Championship title." Tea pointed out, jokingly.

"Yeah, this plane isn't going anywhere but to a runway." Yugi said, gripping the table. As he said this, the plane hit a wave of turbulence. As it cleared, Mai began the laughter.

l

-EuroKaiba Hotel, Room 2505-

"That's it. We are now set up." Celeste called.

"Wonderful." Master called back, emerging from the kitchen area. "This tournament is going to hold the fates of so many people. The outcome will only be exceeded by its aftermath."

"We won't fail you." Celeste assured him.

"Well, not intentionally. They'll give it their best. And when they fail, I'll decide from the lot of them."

"Of course, sir." Celeste said, giving a bow. "Sir, I have received word from Zeke that he is currently in vigilance."

"Excellent, continue to monitor that." Master commanded. "Now, I must attend to the arrival of Barry and Daniel."

"They have arrived?" Celeste asked. Celeste cared for neither of them, and for all intent and purposes, Master didn't like them either. However, the former had been a lifelong friend of Master. The latter was a mystery.

"I'll be sure to keep Zeke and Barry on different ends of the hallway." Master assured her.

"Thanks." Celeste replied, smiling. "We don't need a repeat of the c-"

"Don't even think about mention that."

l

-EuroKaiba Hotel, Suite 3002-

"I trust that you're happy with your suite accommodations, Pegasus." Seto said, looking out the window.

"It's nice." Pegasus replied, sipping his wine. "When does Zigfried arrive?"

"He'll be coming in a few hours, same time as Yugi and company" Seto informed him, not averting his gaze from the KaibaDome.

"It'll be nice to get back on the dueling scene, won't it?" Pegasus asked. "You haven't been a regular in about a year."

"Yeah and how long has it been for you?" Seto shot back.

"I admit that I've lost my frequency, but I am responsible for keeping the masses happy with more cards to create new strategies, and et cetera." Pegasus explained.

"Valid point. And the fact that if I ever have to see Toon World again, it will be too soon." Seto said.

"I will duel again, but I want to focus on my company. You're no stranger to doing that." Pegasus noted. "Even at that, you still couldn't stay away from the dueling scene. We can't get away from it, no matter how we try. It's in our blood, our spirit, our soul." At this point, Pegasus began looking up at the ceiling and speaking in poetic fashion.

"Spare me the ancient Egyptian mumbo-jumbo." Seto said quickly.

"If it weren't for that 'mumbo-jumbo', as you call it, Duel Monsters wouldn't exist." Pegasus reminded him. Seto jetted into a different topic.

"So, why did you invite Zigfried to join us in preparation?" Seto asked, curious.

"We're business partners, as you know. I signed a deal with him late last year to help improve his company's image. Seeing as his brother is third in the world, I assumed that he would assist us greatly. On a side note, he had no problem hacking through your security system, who knows what other technological talents he might have." Pegasus explained.

"Well, not anymore. The girl. Rebecca, is it? I took her up on her offer to improve my security system. Very reluctantly, I might add." Seto told him. "I was genuinely impressed with her skills."

_"Doesn't that mean that she can access your computer network at will?"_ Pegasus thought. "So the network is more secure?"

"It's almost impenetrable." Seto said. "I like this KaibaLand. I think that Mokuba and I did an excellent job design wise."

"I had assumed that it was cookie cutter." Pegasus mumbled.

"I like the fact that I can sit up here, walk out on the balcony and listen." Seto said, now in his own little world. "I can even listen to the cheers in the KaibaDome, while watching it. Pegasus stood up and walked over to the bar.

"Oh yes." He replied, pouring a glass.

"I mean, should I ever get the chance to vacation, I would consider coming here with Mokuba." Seto said. "By the way, where is Mokuba?"

Pegasus appeared next to him. "I don't know, but you're gonna wanna drink this entire glass, and maybe some more." He handed him the glass that he had poured. Seto looked at a downward angle, and then looked back up. Grabbing it from him, he chugged the entire glass.

"I'm eighteen. This never happened." Seto said, returning the glass to Pegasus and his mind back to reality.

"No, no it didn't." Pegasus replied. "Eh, you're close enough. Besides, what's a glass of wine between friends?" Seto prepared in his mind a response, but threw it out.

"Sure. Friendship." Seto sighed. "So, do you want to know what I've planned for Friday's ceremony?"

-Heathrow Airport, London England, 4:30p BST-

"Welcome to Heathrow Airport. The Kaiba Corporation has provided you with a limousine which will take you and your party to EuroKaiba Amusement Park for the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championship Tournament, sponsored by the Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions." A female KaibaCorp employee, who was standing near the exit said, as though she were mechanical.

"Umm…thanks." Yugi responded, giving a nod and walking past her toward the door.

"Your luggage has already been loaded into the car." She informed them, turning around.

"Thank you." Solomon said, turning around and nodding his head.

"Enjoy the tournament."

A smooth, female voice rang across the park, and throughout the halls of the EK Hotel.

_"Attention all tournament participants and KaibaLand guests: The Champion has arrived."_

Seto looked up from his computer. "Call security; tell them to initiate the appropriate lobby defense protocol."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**VekuKaiba**: Welcome to London, England. Yugi Mutou is in the building. Plot inches forward. Spaghetti. Duels approach. Enemies hide within. But what do they want, if anything with the tournament? Thus, I turn to my computer to find out.


	16. Chapter 16: Not an Evil Plot

Chapter 16

-KaibaLand Main Gate-

"Mr. Kaiba, we are stationed at the main entrance." Roland said into his cell phone.

"Just get him here in one piece. Wheeler on the other hand…" Seto replied, receiving a face from Pegasus.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba. Here he is now."

A limousine pulled up to the sidewalk, jet black and tinted windows. Roland ran to the door of the car, opening it just enough to stick his head inside.

"Mr. Kaiba has ordered me to get you to the hotel in one piece." He recited. "Limited comments to the media, no autographs, et cetera. There will be time for all of that later."

"Okay," Yugi nodded, leaning forward to get out of the car.

"Good luck." Roland said as he opened the door, sending natural light into the lengthy car. Yugi stepped out of the car to see the gate lined with cameramen and fans. Joey was the next to emerge, followed by Serenity, Tea, Solomon, Tristan, and finally Mai.

"Well, someone's popular." Mai said, looking out at the mass of people waiting for their arrival.

"I thought he might have been exaggerating." Yugi admitted, walking forward. Stage fright had never been kind to him, but he had been working on getting over it. "I suppose not."

"Hello to all of my adoring fans!" Joey said, getting into the view of a television camera.

"Joey, knock it off." Tea warned him.

"Hello world, Tristan Taylor, here." Tristan said, putting Joey in a headlock. "I see you've met the underdog of the tournament." Joey leaned backward, sending them both to the ground. Mai laughed at them.

"No fighting." She mocked, offering a hand to Joey.

"Thanks, Mai."

"Yeah, thanks…" Tristan muttered, getting up on his own as Serenity looked on.

"Joey, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's fine." Tristan called back, smiling.

"Yugi!"

"Yugi Mutou!"

"Yugi, over here!"

"Yugi, is there any truth to the rumor that-"

"Yugi, are you prepared to defend your title against Kaiba and the rest of the field?"

"I'm here to duel my best." Yugi called out, trying to quiet the crowd to no avail.

"Yugi, this way." Roland motioned, gesturing to a set of carts up ahead.

"Okay." He mouthed, giving a 'thumbs up' as a woman in blue attempted to lure him over. Giving a distasteful smile, Tea pushed him along.

"Let's go, these people are annoying."

l

-EuroKaiba Hotel Main Lobby-

"Mr. Mutou, we are so pleased to have you. And Joey Wheeler; Mai Valentine." The receptionist said, walking around the counter to greet the incoming group. She then snapped her fingers at a worker. "Go get their keys off of the counter, will you?"

"It's great to be here." Yugi said, looking up at the woman.

"It is five-star. Here are your keys." She said, taking the small envelopes from her underling. "Yugi Mutou and Solomon Mutou, suite 2903; Joey and Serenity Wheeler, suite 2904."

"Thank you." Yugi said, accepting the envelope.

"Mai Valentine, you're in room 2804. Tea Gardner and Tristan Taylor, Room 2806 and 'A'"

"Thanks." Mai said, with a flat tone.

"Now, you three," she began, pointing to Yugi, Joey and Mai, "will have to come back down after you've gotten settled to sign your tournament contracts. Orientation is tomorrow, beginning at 10 o' clock in the morning. Presence is mandatory."

"Got it." Yugi replied.

"Enjoy your stay!" she said, starting to turn around. "Oh, Miss Wong. Yes, tournament signing is in the ballroom."

"To the elevator. Run." Tea said, taking the first step, Solomon not far behind."

"Thank you." Vivian replied, turning to the doors.

"Maybe she didn't see us?" Tristan asked.

"She saw you." A voice called.

l

-Suite 2903-

"Home for the next three weeks." Yugi said, opening the door. Behind it was an entryway, connecting to a large living space, including a large flat-screen television and complete furniture set. Off to the side was a kitchen and dining area, and hallway on the right connecting to bedrooms.

"I'll go explore the back area." Solomon said.

"Okay, Grandpa." Yugi replied, picking up a note.

_'When you're done signing in downstairs, go to the front desk to receive a key to Suite 3001. -Seto Kaiba'_

_ "Another meeting…" _Yugi thought in his head, sighing. "What an awesome view." he said, looking out the window. Walking over to the balcony door, he looked out onto the park. In direct view was the Kaibadome, the Royal Blue-Eyes Fortress not far to the right. It was a near-replica of the castle Yugi had dueled on last year against Leon.

"Yugi, if you want to go down and sign in, I'll unpack everything." Solomon said, returning to the room.

"Are you sure?"

"Pegasus will want you to help him with something, I'm sure. I'll be fine up here, you go."

"Alright. You know, I'm sure Rebecca and Arthur will be here in a little while." He reminded him.

"Oh good. Arthur and I can catch up on the discovery in the ice."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Yugi." He said, watching Yugi pick up his key and walk out the door.

_"You know, I'm so proud of him. Eventually, he'll be off on his own…"_

l

-Main Ballroom-

"Welcome to tournament registration." Croquet said, sitting behind a desk.

"Hey, Croquet." Yugi said, addressing him as though he'd known him for years. Technically… "Since when did you start working for Kaiba Corp.?

"I didn't. Mr. Crawford brought me along, and told me to assist here." He explained, getting on with it. He set a thin booklet of thinly-printed paper in front of him. "Now, this is your tournament contract. It basically states that you may not enter the tournament under a false name; you must abide by the rules of Duel Monsters as provided by Industrial Illusions. You may only use Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions technologies while dueling. You may not participate in any duels outside of the tournament with anyone still active in the tournament, and the top four. Those and more, which you can read over if you wish. Naturally, should you be in violation of any of these rules, Seto Kaiba will not care, as he deems you too important to have you disqualified."

"In that case, I'd like to enter as Mario Costelliari, and my goal in the tournament is to duel all 127 other competitors with my homemade duel disk." Yugi said.

"Sign here." Croquet said, ignoring the sarcasm. Yugi did so as Croquet prepared a folder.

"Thank you." He said, taking the contract back. "This is your tournament information folder; it details everything you need to know as a competitor for the tournament. You probably will receive more in-depth information when you go see Master Pegasus and Seto Kaiba upstairs."

"Thank you very much." Yugi said.

"Shmoopie!" a voice called from behind. Yugi turned around slowly only to be tackled by Rebecca Hawkins.

"Hey, Rebecca." Yugi said, smiling. The embrace continued.

"I've missed you so much." She said. "My grandpa's already found your grandpa. We're in the suite right next to yours!"

"That's great." Yugi said, trying to wiggle out of the hug. Being released, he looked over at the other woman in the room.

"Yugi, I'd like you to meet Janine." Rebecca said. She motioned to her friend, a taller woman in the back of the room. Her purple outfit complimented her skin tone well, giving quite an impression. "Janine, this is Yugi Mutou."

"I've heard of you." Janine said, offering a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Yugi said, looking up at her. He was used to looking up at people by now.

"Janine takes me to and from classes at UCLA, and I thought this would be a great way to repay her." Rebecca explained.

"I can't wait to get out and explore London!" she said, excited. "And we have the most amazing suite ever. A view of the whole park, ahh! It's awesome."

"Well, I'm sure we can find time to go whenever we have a break from this tournament." Rebecca assured her.

"Speaking of the tournament, I have to go upstairs to talk with Kaiba and Pegasus." Yugi told her. "So, I'll see you later."

"Good bye,my Yugi-muffin." Rebecca said, giving a quick hug and letting him pass.

"Welcome to tournament registration. Name?"

l

-Elevator, Floor 29-

The elevator music played softly in the empty elevator. Yugi now wore a lanyard holding two card keys: his own and the key to suite 3001. The elevator came to a halt on the 29th floor, against Yugi's button pressing. The door opened to reveal Zigfried and Leon von Schroeder.

"Going down?" Zigfried asked. "Hello Yugi."

"Hi Yugi." Leon said.

"Hello." Yugi said. "No, I'm going up to the 30th floor, but then it will be." He held the button to keep the doors open.

"Thank you." Zigfried said, bringing his purple-suited self into the elevator, being trailed by his brother. Yugi released the button, and the door reclosed, rising quickly to the 30th floor. The door opened to reveal a hallway.

"See you later, Yugi." Leon said. Yugi nodded and walked out the door and down the hall. The hallway opened to a large sitting area with three doors. They were marked, in order, 3002-Kaiba, 3001-WCTHQ, and 3003-C into the rawford.

"Door 3001." Yugi whispered, walking over and inserting his key. Pulling it out quickly, he heard a click, telling him to open the door.

"Kaiba?" he called, entering a room containing a circular business table with roughly 25 chairs around it. He noted that there were two doors in the room; one leading to each of the suites marked outside. He walked over to door 3002 and pushed the doorbell button on the side. A voice rang out over a loudspeaker.

"Mr. Kaiba, you have a business visitor."

"Kaiba! It's me, Yugi." Yugi called.

"I'm coming!" he could hear from the other side of the door. Seto Kaiba opened the door, wearing a white suit and blue tie. Standing behind him was Mokuba in his day to day outfit and Pegasus in his usual red suit.

"Glad you showed up." He said, walking past him into the room. "This is tournament headquarters. I'm sure that you'll find this to be your second home. As you can see, I've just made it attached to mine."

"I saw Zigfried and Leon on the elevator." Yugi said.

"We'll call them up here eventually." Mokuba assured him.

"As of tomorrow, Mokuba will be taking control of the tournament as commissioner, much like Battle City. Of course, as company president, I have the final say." Seto said, looking at his brother.

"I won't let you down!" Mokuba said with a smile. Seto cracked a small one back. Pegasus walked in holding a yet another glass of wine.

"Have no fear, I can hold my liquor well." He warned. "So, what is it that you wanted us to discuss?"

"I wanted to tell you that Mokuba is acting as commissioner while I'm away. Pegasus, you will assist him." Seto instructed.

"Oh, so I'm his lackey now?" Pegasus asked.

"I said you should help him, not work for him." Seto shot back. "Briefing is tomorrow morning, and he's going to need help seeing as I am a competitor, and do not have the liberty of free time."

"It's true; he's a very important person." Yugi agreed. "You'd have a lot to do if you were running the tournament and competing."

"The sixteen-player Grand Championship would have been a hassle him logistically, let alone what would go on now with 128 people and two weeks." Mokuba explained. "It's a logistical nightmare."

"Yugi, tomorrow my computer will randomly create times for the field to practice dueling with 8000 life points. Practices will be limited to fifteen minutes, and each duelist will only get one chance to duel one of the three robots per day. In addition, duelists can choose to continue the duel on the second day, or take a reboot. This process should take about eleven hours per day." Seto explained. "Would you like to take part in this, or would you like to pass?"

"I think that it would be a good idea to get another whack at it before the tournament starts." Yugi answered.

"I see. I'll have you put back on the list." Seto said, turning to Mokuba and giving a nod.

"Whenever you feel like it, just come on in, I'll get you a spot." Mokuba agreed.

"Okay." Yugi said. "I'll do that." Pegasus then spoke.

"Yugi, you're welcome up here any time. So far everything has been smooth. I'm sure some idiot is attempting to use the tournament for evil purposes, but nevertheless."

"I'm sure that everything is fine."

l

-Suite 2505-

"With our evil plot, we will succeed." Celeste said.

"It is not an evil plot!" Master yelled. "It is justice for the past. We are not here to harm! If it occurs, so be it. When we begin to harm, we will need to have already won."

"Yes, my master." Celeste said, dropping to her hands and knees in front of him. "My sincerest apologies."

"Rise, Celeste. You need not worry yourself with your mistake." Master assured her. "It is easy to consider Seto Kaiba's tournaments as a large sign that reads 'Evil welcome here'. He wouldn't want to be considered evil."

"Seto Kaiba?" Celeste asked, confused.

"No, not Seto Kaiba. My superior; my lord." Master elaborated. "He would not want us to do his bidding underneath the stain of evil. In ancient times, as you know, an order was given. I will attempt to finish this order, in the modern era. But for that to happen, I need to use Seto Kaiba's dueling tournament. Here we are."

"Master, there is something that I do not understand." Celeste said, rising to her feet cautiously.

"There is much that only I understand. What is your question?"

"After the tournament."

"We win."

l

-Main Ballroom, Monday Morning, 6/9/07-

"Would you all please be silent?" a calm Pegasus Crawford said, standing up on a raised platform. In front of him, 128 chairs were neatly arranged in a 16-by-8 rectangle. In those seats, 127 were filled. Joey Wheeler, as usual, was currently banging on the elevator walls, yelling for it to 'hurry up'.

"Should we wait for Joey?" Mokuba asked quietly, turning his back to the crowd.

"It couldn't hurt. Your brother wouldn't hear of it though." Pegasus tried. Mokuba turned back around to his lectern, stepping up on the raised platform.

"Hello everyone. Before we begin, I would like to, on behalf of The Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions, congratulate you on your entry into the World Championship Tournament." Mokuba began, stalling. Seto, sitting in the second chair in the audience, looked up in suspicion. Joey Wheeler, now free of the elevator, was running through the lobby.

"I would also like to thank the entire staff of Kaiba Corporation, Industrial Illusion, and Solid Vision for their work over the past month to help organize this tournament." Mokuba added. "Could we give them all a round of applause?" Mokuba gestured to the back where a line of suits were standing. Seto was less than amused. The applause was interrupted by the doors at the back-left bursting open.

"Don't start without me! Stupid elevators!" Joey exclaimed, running down the aisle.

"You're fine, Joey. We were just getting started." Mokuba assured him. As Joey took his seat in between Rebecca and Zigfried, Mokuba turned to Pegasus who handed him a booklet.

"As commissioner of the World Tournament, I would like to welcome all of you. In front of me are the official rules of the tournament, as written by Kaiba Corp., and I will now read the important portions." Mokuba began. "Please pay close attention."

In the back of the room, Master yawned. The back of the room had been left unorganized, so Celeste was on his right, while the newcomer Barry was on his left. He was taller build, bald, and for the Italian National Champion, distinctly not Italian.

"You are only permitted to participate in tournament duels while you are still active in the tournament. Anyone found in violation of this rule risks disqualification." Mokuba continued. "Tournament seeding will be drawn on the day of the Opening Ceremony. The 'Elite Eight' have already been seeded due to their world ranking. National and Regional Champions will be placed into the brackets by the computer in the first 32 positions, while the remaining 88 will be entered by random draw. You will not know your place in the tournament until Opening Ceremony night."

"I surely hope that my field gets the tough end of this field." Master said, looking down the row. All of his associates were in the same two rows with him. Barry was to his right, then Daniel, followed by a woman with long brown hair currently attending to her nails. Sebastian and Alex were next, then a smaller woman with dyed hair discussing with the blonde girl next to her. Then the man in dreadlocks, the other blonde, and... "Hmm…" Master paused. That was the end of his line of minions. Zeke and Ivan were not in line with them. "He must be…"

l

"The winner of the tournament will receive five million in American dollars. That translates into over three million pounds, a little under four million Euros, or 429 million Yen." Mokuba explained. "All prizes will be in American dollars. You can find the rest of the breakdown in your personal folders. No one leaves empty handed, and there are two special prizes. $60,000 will go to a People's Choice contest winner over the tournament, and $100,000 to the highest ranking woman in the tournament. Duel Monsters has always been promoting its female community, from the very day when Mai Valentine entered the Duelist Kingdom Tournament as the only woman in the field, finishing third." This received great applause from the women in the room, Mai gesturing for them to sit.

l

Zeke and Ivan were a few rows in front of them, side by side, looking forward. Two rows in front of them was Zeke's target. A shorter girl with short black hair was seated with her friend, listening intently to Mokuba's speech.

"I don't think she knows that we're here yet. We've done a pretty good job of avoiding her." Zeke whispered closely into Ivan's ear. Ivan turned behind Zeke's head.

"She will eventually discover that we are here. We can't let her get away, so we can't let her run away after seeing us. She has to literally talk to us, so we can blackmail her into staying as long as we can." Ivan suggested.

"Good point, I'll ask Master later." Zeke said, shifting his eyes to the front quickly, then right back on Ivan.

"No excessive public displays of affection on stadium grounds, or park grounds for that matter. You have a room. Use it." Mokuba said, catching the attention of Zeke. A minor chuckle escaped his mouth.

l

"Remind me to ask if the walls are soundproof." Celeste said to Master, getting an eye roll.

"This concludes the rules of the tournament. Now, this year, we will be instigating a new rule in all tournament duels." Mokuba said. "For the duration of the tournament, all duels will see each player beginning with 8000 life points, as opposed to the 4000 from the Battle City era." This received a mixed reaction and a lot of murmur from the crowd.

"He's not done." Seto shouted, hushing the room.

"In preparation for this, today and tomorrow, from this moment forward, three duel robots will be available for practice. Each duelist will receive two fifteen minute slots, one today and one tomorrow, to duel the robot. Tomorrow, you may choose to either continue your duel, or restart it. These will take place in Rooms 201, 202, and 203. There is a list of practice slots on the screen outside of the ballroom. They are subject to change once." Mokuba took in a deep breath.

"We will reconvene on Thursday for Opening Ceremony rehearsal."

* * *

**VekuKaiba:** Friends and enemies convene in London for the world championship. What will occur? If its not an evil plot, what exactly is it? And exactly how many minions does 'Master' have?


	17. Chapter 17: Also sprach Zarathustra

Chapter 17

-July 9th, 2007-

"Yugi!" Rebecca called, knocking on Yugi's suite door. "It's time to go!" A well-rested Solomon Mutou opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Rebecca, but he's already gone." He said.

"What? Where did he go?"

"I think that they all went exploring!" a voice from the back called. Arthur Hawkins, sitting in an armchair, had already made it up to the Mutou room.

"Grandpa?" she said, in surprise.

"They were about to leave when Solomon and I began our duel." He said, gesturing toward the table of cards. "I'm afraid if you want to find them, you're going to have to go on a scavenger hunt."

"Did he at least send me his love?" she whined, turning around and jogging to the elevator.

"His what?" Solomon said, turning to Arthur. Shutting the door, he returned to his seat. "Wait until she finds out that Yugi and Tea went on a date a month ago."

"They did? How did it go?"

"Interesting."

L

-Elevator-

"Fine!" Rebecca yelled in the empty elevator. "I'll just have to look for him myself."

As the lift descended twenty-nine floors to the lobby, Yugi and the gang entered the next lift over.

"I know you and Rebecca have your differences, but we have to work around that for the sake of peace." Yugi said.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna watch her go all googly-eyed over you like she did last year." Tea warned him. "You're not hers." She then covered her mouth. Joey did not pick up the joke.

"Yeah, you belong with us, Yugi." Joey said, Tristan shaking his head in disbelief.

"Joey, maybe I should do the motivational speaking from now on." He said, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"So who is this Rebecca girl?" Serenity asked. Serenity had never actually met Rebecca before.

"Rebecca Hawkins is a fourteen-year-old brat who-" Tea began.

"Rebecca is a fourteen-year-old college student who-"

"She's just a little bit immature, but a really good duelist-"

"Stop!" Serenity called out, the elevator pausing on floor 13. "So, she's fourteen, she's in college, and she's a good duelist?"

"And she's in love with Yugi Mutou." The woman now at the door of the elevator said. A short girl, sporting short, black hair and a pale complexion stood looking at the debate.

"Hello. My name is Naomi."

L

-Lobby-

"Attention, Sebastian Roux. Your practice time is in fifteen minutes in Duel Room 2." A voice rang out.

"Excuse me!" Rebecca called, practically running to the front desk. "Has Yugi Mutou come through here yet?"

"Yes he did." the receptionist said. "But then he and his friends were returning to his room."

"What?" Rebecca said in annoyance. She then turned around and ran for the elevator she had just left. Unfortunately for her, it closed moments before she could re-press the button. Inside the elevator, Sebastian Roux had the happy pleasure of blocking her by pressing the 'close' button.

"My only gift to you, Yugi."

L

-Suite 2903-

Yugi swiped his keycard to gain access to his room.

"Oh, hello Yugi. Rebecca was just here looking for you." Arthur said.

"Hello, Professor." Yugi replied. "We were just looking for her."

"She just got on the elevator to look for you a moment ago, she couldn't have gotten far." Solomon explained. The room phone then rang. Yugi walked into the kitchen to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is the front desk, a Miss Hawkins was just looking for Yugi Mutou, and I was wondering if he was in his room?"

"This is him, and yes I am. Thank you." Yugi said, hanging up the telephone. "That was the front desk; Rebecca was just on her way up."

"Oh goody." Tea mumbled.

"So, Yugi, who's your friend?" Arthur asked, looking at the girl who had joined the party.

"Hello, Professor Arthur Hawkins, my name is Naomi."

L

-KaibaDome, W 7/11/07-

"Now, the seating in the center of the arena will be based on bracketing, with each of the first round pairs sitting side by side." Mokuba explained, walking around on the center dueling arena. All of the competitors were standing around the platform, in no particular order. "Each of you will be announced, one at a time, and you will come out of the entrance, come on stage, and draw your position in the tournament. You will then be escorted by an official to your seat."

"So, we'll be seated next to our first opponent?" a duelist called out.

"That's correct. There will be no decks or duel disks permitted on stage, so don't even think about trying anything." Mokuba warned. "Now, one you are in your seat, you are to remain there, and try to keep some composure. The world is watching."

"In addition, please stay awake. You may know every rule, every twist, every fact about this tournament, but the audience does not, and you are to look intrigued." Pegasus announced. "After the ceremony is complete, we are not done. You will all be escorted back to a large room for time assigning. You will file out in order, because you will be required to be seated in the same order. If you are not in the same order, you will be penalized. And believe me; my idea of 'penalty' is nothing short of severe. You won't make it out of the first round."

"You'll be given a time of day and a date. The first duels will take place on Saturday through Tuesday, and your time will be either 'morning', 'afternoon', or 'night'. Morning duels take place at 10 a.m., Afternoon duels start at 2 p.m., and finally Night duels start at 7 p.m.." Mokuba explained.

"Never fear, the world is still watching you, no matter what time you duel." Pegasus added. "You will never find an empty stadium, and the live feeds will never go black. Someone is always watching."

"That includes us. We'll be up in a box, or even on the field, depending on what's going on." Mokuba said. "No pressure."

"I'll make this obvious statement now, I don't know if you'll find it as a warning or not. The unfortunate soul who draws 128 on opening day will be the first opponent of Yugi Mutou. 127 is for Seto Kaiba. Keep those numbers out of your prayers, unless you truly are ambitious."

L

L

-Suite 2903, 7/09/07-

"Hello, Professor Arthur Hawkins, my name is Naomi."

"Hello." Arthur responded with a curious face. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so, sir. I read about you in an article. It had a picture, so I recognized your face." Naomi said, giving an innocent look.

"Naomi is the winner of the Oceanic League, I believe she said." Tea added.

"Ah. We don't get much news from that part of the world." Arthur commented. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"There you are!" Rebecca called, looking at the mass of people at the door to Yugi's suite. Pushing Serenity aside, she found her way to Yugi, putting her arms around him. "Good morning, my Yugi-muffin."

"Good morning Rebecca." Yugi said with fear. Tea made an audible growl.

"Who are you?" Rebecca asked, directing her question to Naomi.

"You really don't get news from my part of the world, do you?" Naomi asked.

"This is Naomi. She was the winner of the Oceanic League." Yugi introduced, trying to wiggle out of Rebecca's grasp. "We asked her if she would like to join us on our trip to the park."

"Hmm, I must have underestimated my own opinion on the word I used earlier." Naomi mumbled.

"What was that?" Tristan asked from the back.

"Nothing, I was remembering something." Naomi lied. "So, who's winning?" She turned to Arthur and Solomon's duel.

"We started with 8000 life points. Arthur leads with 2100 life points to my 1200. I have my Ancient Dragon on the field, as well as Ancient City. Arthur has the Millennium Shield on the field and two cards face down. It's my turn, and I have four cards in my hand." Solomon explained, Naomi walking over to him. She looked at Solomon's hand.

"Arthur, may I see your graveyard?" Naomi asked.

"Of course, but why?" Arthur asked, Naomi filing through the cards.

"As I suspected." She said, placing the stack of cards back on the field. "Let's see here. Rain of Mercy, Card Rotator, and then Mage Power." She then reached to Solomon's dueling hand and pulled the three said cards from it and dropping them on the table. "Game."

"What?" Arthur said, shocked.

"Grandpa, is she right?" Yugi asked.

"That's almost correct, but you've forgotten about his face down cards." Solomon said.

"No way you could pull a fast one on my Grandpa." Rebecca said.

"Not exactly, Solomon. Trap of Darkness can't be activated if your opponent has more than 3000 life points. In addition, nothing's been summoned. Isn't that right, Professor?" Naomi said, not moving. Arthur looked down, still in shock.

"Excellent prediction, Naomi." He said, picking up one of his cards to reveal Trap of Darkness. "By activating Rain of Mercy, both Solomon's and my life points would have increased by 1000 (Arthur-3100, Solomon- 2200). Then, Card Rotator would switch Millennium Shield into attack mode (ATK: 0). Finally, Mage Power increases Ancient Dragon's attack by 1000, giving it more than enough to win the duel."

"Incredible. I'm very impressed." Solomon said, despite the fact that his game had just been won by another.

"Well done." Arthur added. "You must have noticed my variety of trap cards in the graveyard."

"Actually, I noticed that you had a copy of Mirror Force. You would have used that, and in the end phase, used Bottomless Trap Hole to destroy the Ancient Dragon for good. There's a copy of that in there too." Naomi explained. "But that's also the identity of your other face down card, isn't it?"

"Well, she has the whole thing figured out." Arthur said, flabbergasted.

"Looks like I win this game, Arthur." Solomon said, smiling. Arthur gave a face that read 'Yeah right'.

"So, ready to go?" Naomi said, turning to face Yugi. Yugi, rather stunned, opened his mouth to speak.

"Yeah, let's get going."

"Sunlight's burning!"

L

L

-W 7/11/2007-

"Tristan!" Tea called, running after him. "Slow down!"

"But there's Elephant Ears!" he complained.

"Oh, come on!" Tea said.

"Fine." Tristan said, coming to a halt next to a brochure table. Tea, winded, ran up to him.

"I'm a dancer, not a runner." She pointed out.

"Fair enough. Can we go now?"

"Can we walk?" Tea asked, still recovering her breath.

"I suppose, but you're buying."

"We don't have to pay!" Tea hissed.

"See, look who's complaining now." Tristan said, giving a sarcastic grin.

"Walk." Tea said in half-angry monotone.

"So, do you think that Rebecca's going throw herself at Yugi again this year?" Tristan asked.

"Ha. She can try, but she's not going to get very far. Not with me on the watch." Tea replied with confidence. "I swear, sometimes I don't know what goes through that girl's mind."

"Well, she is a total genius." Tristan pointed out.

"Yeah, well she has the ego to match. Kaiba isn't even that annoying. Well, kinda…" Tea said, her voice trailing off.

"It's pretty easy to compare the two" Tristan said. "One order of Elephant Ears please."

"Kaiba is a different case all together, for the most part anyway. Their lives have similarities, but they are different." Tea started to say.

"Eh, forget about'em. We're living right now, and no one's going to get us down during your last summer. Am I right?" Tristan said with confidence, taking his food from the woman behind the counter.

"Yeah! You're absolutely right! Rebecca can it and keep her hands to herself!" Tea said.

"Uh, Tea, you might not want to yell in public." Tristan said, looking around at the people that had stopped and turned.

"Sorry everyone, have a nice day!" Tea said, embarrassed.

"Fail." Tristan commented.

"Fail indeed. Let's go." Tea said. "We have time for one more ride before we have to meet Yugi and Joey at the KaibaDome.

"Let's go on the Blue-Eyes Coaster again!" Tristan suggested.

"You'll throw up; you're in the middle of eating an elephant ear." Tea warned.

"I'll be fine." Tristan said, putting the remainder of the food in his mouth and swallowing hard.

"You go on ahead; I'll wait for you at the exit." Tea said.

"Alright." Tristan said, walking into the line. Tea went over to the exit gate and whipped out her phone.

L

"Hello?" a voice asked on the other end. The voice sounded congested and nauseated.

"Hi Serenity. It's Tea." Tea said. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick." She answered. "But Mr. Mutou has been keeping me very well attended. He's even giving me suggestions on my dueling deck."

"That sounds fun." Tea replied. "You know, we could have stayed in with you."

"No, really, it's fine. I'm fine up here. The view is really great." Serenity said.

"Well, alright. I just wanted to check in on you. Tristan and I are coming to meet your brother and Yugi at the KaibaDome after Tristan gets off of this ride. Then we'll go back to the hotel and see you." Tea said.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get back." Serenity said.

"Bye!"

L

L

-7/11-KaibaDome-

"So, how was it?" Tea asked.

"Long." Yugi replied.

"Long is an understatement." Joey added.

"It was also very informative, right schmoopie?" Rebecca said.

"Uh…sure." Yugi said. "They were just telling us about housekeeping matters during the tournament. They were also talking about the Opening Ceremony, which is on Friday."

"I hope Serenity will be well by then." Joey said. "I don't want her to have to miss out."

"I told her we were coming to check on her when we picked you up." Tea said.

"When did you talk to her?" Tristan said, jealous.

"Right before you went into the bathroom after you got off of the ride." Tea replied with an eye roll.

"Oh." Tristan mumbled.

"Well, let's get over there." Joey said.

"Also, let's try not to get sick." Rebecca added.

L

On the opposite side of the stadium, Master, Celeste, and Zeke formed conversation triangle.

"How has it been?"

"Successful." Zeke lied.

"I trust you have taken accurate notes?" Master asked.

"Yes, sir. They have been typed and sent to you in private." Zeke replied.

"Very good. Continue your work."

"We're having a meeting immediately after the ceremony on Friday. Be sure to drag Ivan along." Celeste informed him. "Also, make sure that…the issue…is in a good place when you leave."

"Can do." Zeke replied, nodding his head. His mind prepared to speak, but his eyes silenced him. As they widened, he made a large hand gesture, spinning around to Master's side. "Have you seen the design of the Ferris Wheel yet? It looks just like a duel disk!" He pushed Master sternly forward, throwing the word "move" under his breath. The three began walking briskly toward the Ferris Wheel.

"Don't turn your head." Zeke warned, seeing movement out of the corner of his eye.

"What are we doing?" Celeste hissed back.

"Trust me." Zeke replied, turning sharply into an alleyway. "See for yourself."

Master poked an eye out of the alleyway in the direction from which they had come.

"I think it's time we leave you to your work once again, Zeke. Farewell."

L

-The Day In Between-7/10/2007-Wheeler Suite-

"Aaah-choo!"

Serenity tended to her nose with a tissue.

"Ugh! What bad timing!" Serenity said, rather upset.

"Hey, it's okay. You just rest and you'll be better in no time." Joey said, sitting down next to his sister.

"I'll call the front desk about getting some medicine." Tea said, walking off to the kitchen to use the phone.

"I wouldn't sit too close, Joey. I don't want you to get sick too." Serenity warned him. Joey hesitated, then stood up again, turning around to face her.

"Well, looks like we're staying in today, guys." Joey said.

"No way." Serenity interjected. "You guys go on ahead. Have fun."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked.

"They're sending someone up with medicine." Tea said, walking back into the room.

"Yeah. I want you guys to have a good time. I'll be fine up here. I'll probably sleep."

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, I mean, we can stay up here." Tristan said

"She probably needs her rest." Grandpa Mutou said, walking into the room. "I don't think it would be wise for any of you to stay up here. I'll look after her."

"Are you sure, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Go on ahead. We'll be fine."

Yugi and friends exited the room, each giving a personal good bye to Serenity before leaving. The elevator arrived at the top floor quickly, and all boarded and started on their way down. As the left elevator closed, the far right one opened. Naomi walked out onto the floor. The center lift opened to reveal Zeke, carrying a black book. Taking a step out of the elevator, he saw Naomi about to turn. She whipped out a mirror and began checking her make-up. Zeke immediately put up his book. It was too late.

Naomi changed direction, knocking on the door with force.

"Hello?" Grandpa Mutou said, answering the door. Naomi looked quickly into the room.

"Hi. I just wanted to…" she began, seeing Serenity sneezing in the background, "check up on Serenity!" She swiftly entered the room, passing Grandpa.

"Oh, how thoughtful." Grandpa said, vaguely confused. Zeke closed his book, dashing back to the elevator button.

"Shit."

L

"You know, Serenity, I have a remedy that might clear that cold up." Naomi said, still in panic mode.

"That sounds nice." Serenity said, congested.

_"Okay Naomi. Calm down. It's just a coincidence. He's a duelist. It's normal." _Naomi thought, he head becoming light.

"Maybe you ought to sit down." Serenity said, taking notice of her dazed look.

"Yeah. Maybe I should." Naomi said quietly, taking a seat on the couch.

"Just call this the infirmary, I suppose." Grandpa said.

_"I hope she's alright"_

_ "What if…if Zeke's here…then…then…"_


	18. Chapter 18: Opening Ceremony

Chapter 18

-July 13th, 2007, 7:00p, KaibaDome-

Outside of the stadium, fireworks shot up from the park, signaling the start of the Opening Ceremony. Fireworks had been used to signal tournament starts since the days of Duelist Kingdom. From within the stadium, the one-hundred fifty thousand-plus that had filled the stadium cheered loudly as the roof began to open; the head sliding forward while the neck fell backward. This only increased the volume of the stadium, some of which could even be heard off of park grounds. If the people of London could not hear the cheers, they were doing so on television, the same being said for the rest of the world. The Kaiba Corporation had elected to show the ceremony on the internet live, while it could be shown during primetime hours in other parts of the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Master of Ceremonies for the World Championship Tournament" a voice rang out.

"Ladies and gentlemen" an enthusiastic Roland began, theatrical smoke filling the floor. Two trapdoors on the stadium floor began opening. The large door brought up the dueling platform, while the other revealed a staircase into the lower alcove. Roland walked up briskly, clearing the stairs and onto the platform. "I welcome you to the opening of the 2007 Duel Monsters World Championship Tournament! Tonight, you will meet 128 of the greatest duelists in the world. These competitors will duke it out for the next two weeks, and by the end, we may very well have a new World Champion."

The opening words brought on cheering, which Roland accepted for about sixty seconds. "Without further ado, please rise for the playing of the national anthem of the United Kingdom, 'God Save the Queen'"

As the music played, the crowd volume fell to a minimum, leaving only those who were singing the words. Roland would then ask for them to remain standing for the national anthems of Japan and the United States. Once the pieces were completed, as well as long applause for each, Roland continued.

"I now welcome to the stage the official Commissioner for the World Tournament, Mr. Mokuba Kaiba" Roland announced, gesturing toward the staircase. Following Mokuba was four of KaibaCorp's suits carrying a large lottery machine. Mokuba took Roland's microphone and stepped forward.

"I will now announce the first 40 seeds of the tournament, in reverse order, as selected by our supercomputer." Mokuba said, retrieving a remote control from his pocked. He clicked the third button, activating another trap door. 128 chairs rose up in four rows, parallel to the platform.

"After I read the first 40 names, the remaining 88 will be placed into the bracket by random draw via this lottery machine. Each of them will take their place based on their number in these chairs. The person sitting next to them…is their first opponent. Number forty, the Champion of the Oceanic League, Seed thirty-nine, Naomi Richards." Mokuba announced; Naomi's picture and bio appearing on the various screens inside of the stadium. Naomi walked up from the staircase, looking around at the crowd. A hand then landed on her shoulder. She turned quickly.

"Oh." Roland said, caught off-guard. "Your name appeared over there." He pointed to her name floating over a chair with a large arrow above it.

"Right" she said, walking toward the edge of the platform."

"Okay. Seed thirty-nine, the Champion from New Zealand…" Mokuba began as Zeke made his way up the staircase.

"Joy." Naomi remarked. "Time to find out who else is here."

Mokuba continued down his list of names, passing familiar names, such as Mako Tsunami at 37, and several Grand Championship competitors. Mokuba also began reading a small fact or two about the duelist in question.

"Number 27, Odion Ishtar of North Africa." Mokuba announced. "Odion participated in the Battle City Finals, eliminated in the quarterfinals."

l

"Odion?" Tea said, sitting in the audience.

"I remember him" Serenity said, blowing her nose. She had not completely recovered from her cold, but forced them to let her accompany them to the ceremony.

"He was a particularly good duelist, if you remember." Grandpa noted. "He had Joey completely cornered, and if it hadn't been for Marik's scheme, he would have easily won the duel."

l

Naomi sat patiently in the rows of chairs, slowly filling up, yet no one around her yet. Number 26, the Scandinavian Champion then broke that streak, sitting directly in front of her. It was not until seeds 23 and 22 that Naomi entered a small panic.

"Shit" she said after number 23 was called. Next it was Barry, who was number 22 from Italy. "Well, it looks like this won't be the trip that I thought it would be." Naomi stood up from her post, looking around the filling seats. She walked down the aisle toward Zeke. Barry observed the situation as he was walking toward the staircase down. Naomi walked up behind Zeke, sliding her arms around his neck.

"You sons of…." Naomi began. Zeke smiled.

"Don't think about leaving. We won't let you." Zeke said, quietly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Naomi said. "In fact, I was starting to think that this is the perfect place to deal with you. All of you. I assume you are all here."

"Including you, yes." Zeke said.

"I would sit down if I were you." Barry said in passing.

"I have friends. I have help." Naomi said, acting confident.

"Yugi and company are to be dealt with later. We were told to deal with you, not them. But if they get in our way…"

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to sit down," Croquet said, walking over.

"My apologies." Naomi said as a loud bang and smoke came from one of gates.

"Please remain calm!" Mokuba said.

l

"Seed number 12, Mrs. Celeste Deveraux, Champion from Canada." Mokuba announced.

"Hey Queeny" Naomi yelled, ready to go to the bar after the ceremony. "I like this country."

Celeste peered over the edge. "Looks like the cat is out of the bag. Master will not be happy with this. Zeke…"

"Where's your wife?" Naomi called.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to settle down." Croquet asked again. "Once more, and you will be removed, and in extension disqualified."

"Fine." Naomi said.

"There has been a slight change in the proceedings this evening. Before we continue with the top nine, we will go ahead and place the 88 participants who will be seated by random draw. Without further ado, let's start the lottery machine. Inside the glass are 88 cards that when scanned at the podium will create numbers ranging from 41 to 128. In alphabetical order, the participants will be called up to draw a card from the mixer and it will give them their tournament number. They will then sit. Let the fun begin."

L

-In the Lower Alcove-Green Room-

"Ishizu!" Yugi said loudly.

"Hello Yugi; friends." She replied, giving a slight nod.

"I remember you. You were the one from Egypt." Rebecca said.

"What are you doing here?" Joey asked.

"I was the African Continental Champion, receiving the ninth seed, and since they said that there had been a delay they brought me in here."

"A delay?" Seto said from across the room. "I leave them in charge for two weeks and we already have problems."

"Apparently a duel broke out." Ishizu said in a calm voice.

"Impossible." Seto said. "Duels are not permitted today."

"Just what I heard." Ishizu said. "I believe it was in one of the gates."

"Oh." Seto replied, going back into deep thought.

"They said something about having to shut down the stadium hologram system, so their big reveal was to be ruined." Ishizu explained.

"So what brought you back onto the dueling scene?" Joey asked.

"Odion and Marik are also here. They have both qualified, and I felt the incentive to join them by participating. Even without my Millennium Necklace, I am still a formidable opponent."

"I don't have any doubt in that." Yugi said. "I look forward to watching your duels."

"And I yours. I see you have been doing well," Ishizu commented. "and the rest of you as well. Due to begin school in the fall?"

"Yes. We'll all be staying in Japan, but Tea will be going to Juilliard in New York." Joey explained.

"How exciting" Ishizu commented, looking at Yugi. "I sense that someone is not too thrilled. Not to worry."

"I'm going to go see what's going on topside." Seto said. "You all can wait here."

"Oh look, Marik is being placed."

L

"Marik Ishtar was the runner-up of the Battle City Finals. Marik, please select your card." Mokuba instructed. Marik did so, walking to the podium to reveal the number 90. "Your first round opponent will be Naomi Richards, number 40."

"It looks like he'll be dueling Naomi." Yugi commented.

"You know her?"  
"She's an excellent predictor." Rebecca said. "I wouldn't take her lightly."

-Stadium Main Floor-

"There they are; 119 of the best. But now, it's time to introduce the ninth seed and the Elite Eight." Mokuba announced. "I have just received word that the main hologram system is back online, so we can finally press onward."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the co-sponsor of the World Championship Tournament and CEO of Industrial Illusions, Mr. Pegasus J. Crawford."

Pegasus walked up the staircase onto the platform to a favorable audience response. Mokuba began again.

"The ninth seed for this tournament is the only Continental Champion outside of the Elite Eight. Her most recent tournament appearance was in the Battle City Finals, where she was knocked out in Round One dueling Seto Kaiba. Please welcome, representing North Africa, Ishizu Ishtar."

Pegasus chimed in. "Her first round opponent will be draw number 120, Weevil Underwood, of Japan." Pictures of Ishizu and video footage from her duels were shown on various holograms as she stepped across the stage to her seat.

"And now it is time to count down the final eight duelists to join the current field. World Rank Eight! She hails from China, and most recently participated in the KC Grand Championship." Mokuba said.

"Please welcome Vivian Wong to the stage." Pegasus finished. Vivian, in a flashy yellow and white dress walked up onto the stage as her Grand Championship performance, or lack thereof, was shown.

"We had to really try to get her to join back up, but we're very happy to have her. She has entered the finals bracket of both the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments, being eliminated in the first round in each. She declined an automatic invitation to compete in the KC Grand Championship, but here she is; World Rank Seven, Mai Valentine."

Mai entered the arena to a large wall of female cheering and male howling.

"Number six," Pegasus began, "a co-organizer of the tournament, and partaker in the KC Grand Championship final, prior to disqualification. Please welcome Zigfried von Schroeder of Germany."

"Thank you." He said, walking up onto the platform, crossing, then down to sit next to and Australian representative.

"World Number Five, he's the underdog you all know and love. He has participated in all three of the big tournaments of the past, placing second at Kingdom, fourth at Battle City and in the top eight at the Grand Championship." Mokuba announced. "Please welcome Joey Wheeler."

Joey ran up the stairs, nearly tripping, to greet his fans. The arena was silent.

"Wha?" Joey said, stunned. He looked up at the monitors, which all said "SILENCE" "No respect, I swear…"

"Just kidding, Joey." Mokuba said, snapping his fingers. The screens then switched to applause, and slowly to his picture and bio. "A welcome gift from my brother."

"Moving forward. Four remain to be introduced; these are the division leaders." Pegasus announced. "Number four, she was the youngest regional champion in history, and currently studies at UCLA in California. She participated in the Grand Championship, finishing in third place overall. Please welcome the leader of the Hawkins Division, Rebecca Hawkins of the United States!"

Rebecca, beaming, ran up to the platform, waving wildly at the crowd. Mokuba then moved to speak as Rebecca back down and to her seat.

"Rebecca Hawkins, and the entire Hawkins Division, get a good night's rest, because your first round duels are tomorrow." He announced. "Now, World Rank Three, he was the winner of the KC Grand Championship, and went on a win streak that was only ended at Yugi Mutou in the Championship Match. Please welcome, from Germany, head of the Schroeder division which will duel on Sunday, Leon von Schroeder."

Leon stepped up onto the stage, giving a pseudo-nervous wave. Tea cheered particularly loudly for Leon, but was drowned out by the rest of the stadium.

"I've personally checked to make sure that I would be the one to announce this next one, because I didn't want to have to sit through a dragging speech of egos." Pegasus said, "So now, to spare you all. World Rank Two, former World Champion. One of your tournament organizers, he finished third in the Battle City Tournament, and defeated the eventual second-place finisher in the KC Grand Championship. In addition to his dueling career, he is also President and CEO of the Kaiba Corporation. The Kaiba Division Leader, whose duels will take place on Monday, please welcome, hailing from Japan, Mr. Seto Kaiba."

Fireworks shot up from the stadium from several points on the roof as Seto Kaiba walked up onto the stage. The cheering was as loud as it had been all night. Tea and Tristan gave a decent amount of applause, while Serenity was with the rest of the crowd. Tristan gave her a puzzled look, which she did not see. Seto was not smiling, as was to be expected. He crossed the stage, giving a nod to acknowledge the crowd, and went directly to his seat.

Three rounds of fireworks shot up as Mokuba said the words "and now".

"The moment you have all been waiting for!" he continued. "He's the reigning World Champion of Duel Monsters! He was the Champion at Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, and the Grand Championship! The undisputed champion, head of the Mutou division, dueling on Tuesday, please welcome Yugi Mutou of Japan!"

Fireworks began flashing up into the night sky, while the lights flashed inside of the arena. Yugi did not ascend the staircase. As the fireworks ceased, the crowd caught on that Yugi hadn't shown up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the north end of the stadium!" Mokuba said, spotlights moving in that direction. Yugi stood at the base of another trap door, this one bringing up a tall staircase. Yugi gave a wave, and then, as instructed, began walking to the top of the stairs, carrying four cards.

"Will the stadium techs please lower the cauldron from the KaibaTron." Pegasus requested, looking at the above four-way screens. Just then , the bottom descended from the screen ten feet, revealing a platform containing card readers. Yugi was about halfway up the staircase, the crowd not ceasing the cheering. Mokuba, Roland, and Pegasus quickly vacated the duel platform in preparation.

Yugi looked through the cards in his hand. Three were labeled in number order, the last was not, and each had a hand-painted picture. When he arrived at the peak of the staircase, he took the microphone that was waiting for him. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"Origin" he said, quieting the crowd. He placed card number one onto the platform, and the hologram began.

"Chapter One: The World Champion falls." Pegasus said, dropping his microphone to his side.

l

-Flashback: Prior to Duelist Kingdom-

_"I've assembled all five needed cards, all five pieces of the puzzle!" Atem rang out._ Images of the duel began playing on the platform. Seto rolled his eyes. The five-pointed star appeared, revealing Exodia, which continued to use its great power to destroy Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and dropping his points to zero.

"The first and only legal summoning of Exodia in recorded history." Pegasus continued, "Yet, probably more importantly, the birth of a rivalry for the ages. Chapter Two: The Challenger falls."

l

-Flashback: Duelist Kingdom, Yugi Mutou v. Seto Kaiba (II)-

"STOP!"

-End Flashback-

l

"The game in hand, the challenger surrenders." Mokuba said. "Overall record, one and one. Yugi Mutou goes on to win the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, claiming the title King of Games from Pegasus Crawford."

"Confrontation" Yugi said, placing card number two onto the platform.

"Chapter Three: Clash in the Coliseum"

-Flashback: Battle City Semi-Finals-

Three Blue-Eyes and the Dark Paladin began circling one another around the arena, while their respective owner's projections commanded them.

"_This duel is over!"_

_ "Yugi! I will not be defeated at my own tournament"_

_ "Kaiba, you're too late! Dark Paladin attack! ...You lose, Kaiba."_

"Overall record, 2-1." Mokuba said, frowning.

"Yugi Mutou goes on to win the Battle City Finals, retaining and reaffirming his champion status." Pegasus said. "Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou would only duel each once in between the break. The match went to Yugi, but is not recorded for record. Chapter Four: Welcoming a New Generation."

l

-Flashback: KC Grand Championship-

Rebecca, Zigfried, Joey, Leon, Yugi, Seto, and Vivian all appeared around the stadium. Duels criss-crossed around the stadium, showing clips from Rebecca and Leon, Yugi and Vivian from the restaurant, Zigfried and Joey, as well as his one-turn-kill against Rex and Weevil (which they were not too happy to see). The clips ended with Seto wiping out Zigfried and Yugi doing the same to Leon. All holograms disappeared except for Yugi and Seto, now across from one another.

-End Flashback-

l

"Rebirth" Yugi said.

"Chapter Five: A First Time for Everything, sort of."

Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra sat across from two Blue-Eyes Shining Dragons on the platform. The dragon lit up, taking to the skied.

_"Shining Nova!"_

The dragons crashed into their respective opponents, destroying them.

"In one of the closest duels on record, Yugi Mutou defeated Seto Kaiba to retain his championship crown. Overall record 3-1." Pegasus said. "Chapter Six: The Future"

"Seto Kaiba is in addition to a rival, a friend." Yugi said from atop the staircase. "Duel Monsters, in my opinion, is yet another example of creating binding friendships. I will light the tournament flame with a card that has been programmed and painted by Pegasus Crawford. The card was the prize card of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, and after winning it, I gave it to Rebecca Hawkins as a gift after a duel that we had a long time ago." Rebecca looked up, smiling.

Yugi placed the card into the center, creating a flame. Fireworks shot up for the last time, the crowd cheering loudly. As the staircase descended, Yugi finished.

"The Ties of Friendship will last forever."

"Cecilia."

* * *

**VekuKaiba:** I'm here. Autumn Quarter is over, so I am free to write, and have already made headway on getting ahead of myself. Here it is, the Opening Ceremony, meaning that tomorrow, the duels begin. Not that it will be a Jeopardy! style chapter after chapter duels. I haz plotz. Until C-19...


	19. Chapter 19: Tournament, Start!

Chapter 19

-July 13th, 2007, 11:00p, Room 2505-

"The tournament is set." Master announced to his room of minions. "I wish you all the best of luck. And it looks like the first elimination will be made on Monday." Barry then punched Zeke.

"Zeke has something to tell you, Master." Barry announced.

"It has come to my attention that Naomi is aware of our presence here, sir." Zeke said quietly.

"Umm…yes, Zeke, that was the plan." Master said. "She would find out during the opening ceremony. Obviously." He looked curiously at Zeke.

"Of course." Zeke lied. "She approached me, sir. During the ceremony. She informed me that she wasn't going anywhere. She sees this as a challenge."

"Then a challenge we shall give." Master replied, "Although I admit that I did not expect her to be so willing to fight."

"Well, sir, she has had quite a long time on that island." Laura, the blonde woman, said. "I'm also confident that her skills have grown."

"If they haven't, then we have no point in being here, now do we?" Master replied.

"No, I suppose not." Laura said, looking away.

"As long as we keep our eyes on her, as well as the tournament, our plans will work. Then, the next phase comes a bit later. Once the tournament is over and done." Master said. "Now, I want to quickly go over-"

"I have a question, sir," the woman with dyed hair said, speaking up.

"Yes?"

"The name they announced at the ceremony. Steven Deveraux. Is that your name?"

"It is the name I am called." Steven said. "You are all, in private, to call me 'Master'. In public, during the tournament, please refer to me as Steven. Moving on, back to what I was saying, I'm going to take a sort of roll. Pay attention." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began reciting.

"Celeste, your duel is on Saturday Morning. Sunday afternoon, myself, Barry, and Zeke will duel. That evening, Alex and Daniel have matches. Renee, you, Sammy and Miss B have duels on Monday morning. That afternoon, the little runt duels against a formidable opponent, while Sebastian faces Laura in our first disaster. Ivan, you're on that evening slot, and then I trust that you will have everything ready for Tuesday Evening?" he finished, looking over to a man in the corner. "Mister C?"

"I'm going straight for the throat." He replied.

"Just remember, you cocky son of a bitch, you duel Yugi in the next round." Steven said.

"I'll be there."

"Well, if that's everything, then you are released. God I feel like I'm teaching again." Steven said. "One at a time, if you would. C, get out."

"See you later."

"After your duel." Steven assured him.

L

-Room 2903: Yugi Mutou-

"I'm so pumped." Joey said, sitting down between Yugi and Tristan. "Come'on Bec, you've got to be ready to go tomorrow."

"Trust me, I'll be fine." Rebecca said, looking through her papers. The doorbell of the suite rang. Tea answered, getting up from her chair.

"Excuse me." Roland said. "This girl said that she was staying with Rebecca Hawkins."

"Janine, come inside." Rebecca asked.

"Please try to keep her out of restricted areas. Mr. Kaiba wants no issues."

"Will do. Thanks Roland." She said as he shut the door. "Janine, what on earth were you doing?"

"I go t lost. It's a madhouse down there." She replied. "So, how y'all doing?"

"Good, we're relaxing after hundreds of fireworks deafened us." Serenity said, blowing her nose.

"How's the cold coming, Serenity?" Joey asked.

"I'm doing better." She replied, looking over at his brother.

"I've been taking care of her." Solomon said. "That reminds me, where is my other patient? Naomi?"

"I haven't seen her since the ceremony." Tea said.

"Maybe she's in her room." Yugi suggested.

"She should be getting a good night's rest, she hasn't been feeling well." Grandpa noted.

"Me too." Serenity said. The doorbell rang for the second time. Tea got up to open it again. Mai Valentine was on the other side, walking right in.

"Just wanted to stop in to say good night." She said, looking around the room.

"Hey, Mai." Yugi said. "We were talking about going to breakfast in the morning. Do you want to come with us." Mai paused for a moment.

"Sure, I'll be here. What time?"

"Ten-ish." Yugi replied, the doorbell ringing again immediately after. Tea moved to rise.

"You sit." Mai said, turning around to the door. "And who do we have we here?"

"Hi Naomi." Tea said, looking out the door.

"Ah yes." Mai said, shutting the door after her.

"Breakfast tomorrow at ten." Tea said.

"Got'cha." Naomi said, walking up behind the chair. "But I have to be back in time for the afternoon duels, because my friend Natalee is dueling."

"Can do." Yugi assured her.

"So, anything I should know about Marik Ishtar?" Naomi asked. "He's my first round opponent."

"He's an old…umm…would you call him a friend, Yugi?" Tristan asked. Yugi responded in a stare. "An old friend."

"But I don't know what kind of deck he'll be using." Yugi said.

"Ishizu seemed pretty confident in their entire family." Joey pointed out.

"All three of the Ishtars are tough customers." Mai assured her.

"I see." Naomi replied. "Should be fun."

"Yugi, did you notice that Rex and Weevil are both here?" Tea asked.

"Yes. I'm not surprised, unfortunately."

"Vivian will beat Rex to a pulp." Mai said with confidence.

"And Ishizu should take care of Weevil in no time." Tristan added."

"Agreed." Tea said. "I don't want to even think about dealing with them this time around."

"They'll probably stick around to scold us for the entire fortnight." Joey suggested. The doorbell rang again.

"Do you think that we're popular tonight?" Rebecca asked. Mai turned around to the door again, revealing Mokuba.

"Yugi, Seto wants to see you upstairs." Mokuba said, not walking the room.

"Right now?"

"You know my brother." Mokuba assured him.

"Go see what Rich-boy wants." Joey said. "We'll be here when you get back."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Yugi said, getting up.

L

-Room 2505: Steven Deveraux-

"Alright, Barry, Alex, out." Steven said. Celeste and Steven were standing at the door.

"Have an excellent evening, sir." Alex said.

"Don't let your neighbors distract you." Barry said.

"Trust me I've been over it with them." Celeste replied.

"Good night." Steven said, Celeste shutting the door, standing in front of Steven.

"I'd best be off to bed, I have a duel in the morning." Celeste said.

"Celeste, do you think I am too nice to my minions?"

"Do you consider them minions?"

"Usually; I suppose that some of them will become my co-workers, but I will still be leading them." Steven said.

"Well, then the fact that you have surrounded yourself with a group of people who actually like you for the most part is a good thing. Who cares if you treat them too well?" Celeste asked.

"It doesn't matter. Good night."

L

-Room 3301: HQ-

Yugi unlocked the door to the tournament headquarters, entering to a room of Seto, Pegasus, and Zigfried, with Mokuba following him in.

"Welcome, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said, watching the new arrivals sit down.

"How can I help the four of you?" Yugi asked.

"I had a question about your friend, what was her name again?" Seto explained.

"Tea? Serenity? Mai?" Yugi asked.

"No no no, the new one. Naomi Richards." Seto said.

"What about her? I've only known her for a short time."

"She was the only person we had a problem with during today's ceremony" he explained, pushing a button on the far side of the table. A security video of the stadium appeared, showing Naomi walking over to another competitor. Unbeknownst to him, it was of Naomi standing up to Zeke.

"She had to be asked twice to behave, but she seemed pretty bitter at him, and another woman. She shouted "hey queeny" at her. Celeste Deveraux. She is the partner of another competitor; Steven Deveraux." Pegasus said, changing the channel.

"I don't have any idea. Perhaps they're old rivals?"

"According to her profile, she was born on her island, and has never before left that island." Mokuba informed him.

"We checked out her profile, and nothing is fishy about it." Zigfried said. "Birth certificates, dental records, and schooling. The only possible thing is that Zeke had visited the island, which is very possible."

"It would be a very long shot on the board for all three of them to know one another." Seto said. "We'll keep looking, but we would like you to dig into the matter, if you would. Casually."

"So, you want me to dig in her personal life?" Yugi said with uncertainty.

"Just ask her about her life. Question her if she ever sees one of those two competitors and reacts." Mokuba explained.

"Okay." Yugi said, still unsure.

"For the good of the tournament, I don't want a pin to drop where I don't know about it." Seto reminded him.

"I understand." Yugi said.

"Good." Seto replied.

"I would ask you to breakfast in the morning, but I presume you'll all be working." Yugi said.

"Unfortunately," Seto said, slightly sarcastic.

"I'm sure that Leon might be interested. I'll send him your way." Zigfried said.

"Ten o'clock tomorrow, my room." Yugi said. "Good night."

L

- July 14th, 2007, 9:40p, Yugi's Room-

Yugi opened the door for the early arrivals. Tea, Tristan, and Rebecca, the last of which was still hopping on one foot to tie her shoe.

"Hi." Yugi said through his toothbrush. "Come in."

"Good morning." Tea said.

"Don't mind us, we'll watch the door." Rebecca said.

"Good morning, Mr. Mutou." Tea said.

"Good morning, girls." Solomon said.

"Grandpa said that you two were going to watch the tournament today." Rebecca said.

"Yes. We decided to let you kids all go to breakfast, and we'll go watch some of the opening duels." Grandpa confirmed. "In fact, we should be on our way right after Yugi gets back from the bathroom."

"Come on, Joey!" Serenity called from the hallway.

"I'm awake!" Joey yelled, coming to the door frame.

"I doubt it." Mai said, bringing up the rear.

"I see someone is feeling better today." Yugi said, rejoining the group at the door. "Come inside."

"Yes, I am feeling much better today." Serenity said.

"Yugi, Arthur and I are going to head over to the stadium, you kids have fun." Grandpa said, passing all of them out the door.

"Have fun, grandpa!" Yugi called.

"Yugi, are you sure he'll be okay?" Tea asked.

"Oh yeah. We had a full discussion about his excitement, and I told him to be careful, and not to go near Vivian." Yugi explained.

"Good man." Joey said.

"Hi." A voice said from behind. Tea turned around to find Leon.

"Hey!" she said excitedly, "Are you going with us?"

"Yeah. Zigfried said that Yugi invited me." He replied.

"That's correct." Yugi said. "Good morning, Naomi." Naomi had just walked up behind Leon.

"Good morning, Yugi; everyone." She replied, smiling. "So, who's hungry?"

"I know I am." Tristan said.

"I think that's everyone. Shall we head out?" Mai asked.

"Sure. Where are we going?" Tea said, turning to Yugi.

"The front desk said that we should head into town and go to the restaurant listed here." He said, pulling out the piece of paper. "They arranged for a car to meet us at the front gate."

"Excellent." Rebecca said, smiling. "Someone in the park was talking about this place. Apparently they open for breakfast and dinner only. Nothing served between twelve and five.

"That's certainly a twist." Tea noted.

"Who wouldn't want to serve lunch?" Tristan asked, Joey thinking the same thing.

"Alright, let's head out."

L

-KaibaDome, 10a-

"Let the first five duels of the 2007 KC World Championship begin!" Roland announced. "The contestants have been informed, and now it's your turn. Every duel in the tournament will be using the new 8000 Life Point Modification Rule, meaning that all duelists will start with double the points.

"Let's duel!" Celeste and nine other duelists rang out, activating their duel disks and, in extension, the five dueling platforms placed around the stadium. The crowd nearly full, only a few rows unrepresented in the cheering. The word 'summon' and 'activate' were thrown around in the opening, as well as the usual sounds of monster destruction.

"I think that the Canadian Champion has a good chance at going far." Solomon said, noting Celeste's skills.

"I agree, it takes quite a bit of skill to pull that deck together." Arthur said. "In addition, I am a little disappointed in the Australian Champion. He blew a good opening hand." In addition to being there in person, he also had a laptop with him to analyze the duels on the opposite end of the stadium that couldn't be heard or seen easily.

"Yes, but I think he'll pull through." Solomon said. "Nacho?"

L

-Breakfast, 10:45a-

The table selected for them was round, so everyone could talk across the table. Yugi and Tea were next to one another, Rebecca on the other side. Then Leon, Tristan, Joey, Mai, Serenity, and Naomi.

"I'll be back with your orders," the waitress said, walking back into the kitchen.

"So, are you all excited for your first round duels?" Leon asked.

"Tonight's going to be awesome. First win of seven!" Joey said.

"I would cut your goal down if I were you." Rebecca said, receiving a death stare form Joey.

"I'm ready to get back onto the scene." Mai said, taking a drink of her morning tea.

"What about you?" Leon asked, directed at Naomi.

"Oh yes, I'm ready to take down everyone in my way." She replied in a sort of daze. "Sorry, I'm not really awake today."

"Don't worry about it." Yugi said. "I'm ready for my first opponent, Leon."

"So, who do you want to watch, the Canadian Champion, the Australian Champion, or the South African Champion? There is also a battle of Spanish speakers on Platform Five, as well as quite a mismatch on Platform Four." Tea asked, watching a handheld television-like device on the table.

"How about we watch the Canadian Champion?" Naomi suggested. "I heard that Canada had a lot of good competitors."

"Alright. Celeste Deveraux (12) versus Diam Alatas (117), who is the third representative from Indonesia." Tea said, pushing the screen twice. "Remind me to thank Mokuba for letting me borrow this thing. Now I just have to turn on the hologram projector." As she said this, a light shot up; this created a sphere-shaped hologram, projecting the duel within. "Okay, we're set." She set the device in the middle of the table for all to see. Naomi turned her focus intently on the hologram.

L

_Celeste-6800 v. Diam 4500_

"To start my turn, I'll place one A-Counter on your Big Shield Gardna, courtesy of my "A" Cell Breeding Device. That brings the total number on it to four." Celeste began. "Next, I summon my Alien Telepath in attack mode (1600/1000). Then I use its special ability, by removing an A-Counter from Gardna, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, and I choose your face down card!" The card in question shattered, while one of four green orbs above his Gardna disappeared. "Now, I activate the effect of my Alien Overlord, meaning if I remove two of the A-Counter from your monster, and I can summon it directly to the field. (2200/1600)"

"But why?" Diam asked. "By doing that, my monster is no longer able to be attacked by any of your creatures."

"That would be true, but Overloard can place an A-Counter on your monster every turn, including this one!" Celeste called out. "So, that makes two! Now, Alien Overlord, attack his Big Shield Gardna!" The Overlord rushed forward to attack the Gardna, which lost 600 defense points due to the effect of the A-Counters "Next, I can attack with Alien Telepath!" [Diam-2900] "I'll end my turn by putting a card face down!"

"I draw, and activate Pot of Greed! I draw two extra cards. Now, I can summon my Goblin Attack Force (2300/0). Goblin Attack Force, attack Alien Overlord!" Celeste-6700 "Now, I place these two cards face down and I end my turn."

"My turn!" Celeste said. "My A-Cell Breeding Device puts an A-Counter on your monster. Then, I can activate Monster Reborn to bring back Alien Overlord, which will place another A-Counter on your monster. Now, I can use the power of Telepath to remove it and take out one of your face down cards!" She chose the left card, destroying Mirror Force. "Excellent! Now, if you would kindly turn your attention to my trap card, Brainwashing Beam! By actvating this card, I can take control of a monster with an A-Counter on it, namely Goblin Attack Force!"

"Oh no!" Diam shouted.

"Now, that leaves only one card to deal with, and I'll take the risk!" Celeste announced.

-Table

"Why would she do that?" Tea asked.

"She must be confident that she'll win." Rebecca answered.

-Stands

"I hope she knows what she's doing." Arthur said.

-Platform

"Alien Overlord and Alien Telepath, attack his life points directly!"

"Shit!" Diam called out, his face down bluff useless. Diam-0 LP

"We have our first winner of the tournament!" Roland announced. "Celeste Deveraux avoids elimination, advancing to round two. And we'll see Diam at the Intermediate Ceremony. Congratulations!"

L

-Table

"Diam didn't really put up a fight," Rebecca noted, taking a bite of her food.

"Celeste didn't really give him a chance. He had him strung like a puppet." Naomi said.

"I agree." Yugi said, swallowing. "Hey look, its Grandpa." He pointed to the crowd projection."

"Tristan, stop waving, he can't see you." Mai said.

"Oh yeah." Tristan said, putting his hand back on his fork. Naomi sipped some coffee.

"Okay, it looks like the Australian Champion just got upset by someone from South Africa." Tea announced, clawing the TV back. "Let's put it on the Greenland/Italy match. It's tied at 3000 apiece."


End file.
